Maybe, Just Maybe (On Hold Until Further Notice Sorry)
by MintRose28
Summary: Alyxandrea Smith, otherwise known as Alyx, was a Military Police Commander who was transferred to the Survey Corps. It was meant to be a temporary switch that become permanent. Things become chaotic and everything is riding on the Survey Corps, such as re-taking Wall Maria and possible expansions outside of the walls. Will they make it out alive? Or will the titans end them 1 by 1?
1. Chapter 1: The Transfer

_Chapter 1: The Transfer_

 _Just a little further…_ My mind raced at the same pace, maybe even faster, then my legs. I rushed past men laughing, talking to friends and neighbors, women shopping for produce in the stalls lining the street, children playing and bouncing around without a care in the world. Inside of Wall Sina there was no fear. They truly believed that the Titans would never make it this far, how naïve. None of them had even seen a Titan. Everyone knew they were dangerous, obviously, yet no one hid here, unlike towns inside of the other walls. Preachers shouted out on street corners, telling people to pray for the towns that had fallen to the Titans, he was ignored for the most part.

I slowed my pace to a walk as I rounded a building closest to the walls entrance. A group of Military Police caught my attention. I made my way closer.

"You little punk! Who the hell do you think you are?!" one of them voiced. My eyebrows shot up then furrowed. _Who the hell are they talking to like that?_ I pushed my way forward into the group. They were circled around a smaller group. I looked them over, there were three males and two females.

Male number one was standing at the very front of the group looking up at the MP in front of him. He was average height and build, he wore a scowl on his face, his teal-green eyes burning, short dark-brown hair hung over his forehead and slightly over his ears. Male number two was shorter than male number one with a smaller build, he was trying to get male number one to back off. Blond locks fell around his face causing his cerulean eyes to stand out. Male number three was taller than the other two, he looked generally bored. His hair was much shorter, light ash-brown, his brown eyes almost matching his locks.

The two females were standing behind the males, almost as if they were being protected. One of the females had short black hair and dark eyes. She was glaring at the same MP as the first male. The other female seemed a little… ditsy. She was looking around and rocking on her heels. Her medium brown hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail, golden brown eyes scanning the area.

"I said…" Male number one's voice was low, deadly.

"Eren, stop." The blond male gripped Eren's upper arm. Eren and the MP in front of him glared harder at each other. I pushed my way to stand in between the two and cleared my throat. Eyes on the hard dirt under my feet.

"What's going on here?" I shifted my gaze to the MP on my left. He visibly tensed, eyes widened and mouth clamped shut. The other MP in the group also tensed, forming straight lines behind the MP next to me, arms at their sides, eyes straight forward. I glanced at Eren and his group. They all looked shocked, all except the short haired girl. I turned on my heels to completely face this Eren kid. My eyes widened at the sight of the Wings of Freedom on the chest of his uniform.

"What can I help the Survey Corps with today?" I smiled brightly at him. It was silent for what seemed like hours before he snapped back to reality. His cheeks flushed as he opened his mouth to speak. The girl with the short hair spoke up for him.

"We were sent to meet someone…" Her face was completely emotionless. She was a rather beautiful girl.

"Yeah, 'til your goons jumped us and started a fight," The other girl said nonchalantly. I looked over my shoulder at the group of men. Once again they tensed, the one who I'm guessing started the fight looked as if he was about to cry.

"I apologize for my men's actions," I bowed my head slightly.

"Ma'am! Please don't bow your head to these-" the MP behind me started.

"These what?" I glared at him over my shoulder once more before actually turning to face him. "These people risk their lives daily to protect the people in these walls. They risk everything while you sit around and drink. They leave the walls to gather information about the demons outside for our sake. They face death daily while the Military Police throw their weight around, thinking they're better than everyone else. Have you ever come face to face with a Titan?" Pause, no response. "Have you watched your friends or family become food for them?" Pause again, no response. "Have you ever had to slice your sword through the back of their neck?" Slight pause. "I'm guessing not." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You act high and mighty, but truthfully, you're nothing. Pathetic fools…" I spat the words as if they were poison. "So, dear prey, answer. These what?"

He looked away from my piercing gaze.

"Return to your posts. Immediately…" The men saluted and marched off. I sighed before facing the group of Scouts. I was met with wide eyes and gaping mouths. "Who are you looking for?" I met eyes with the short haired girl.

"A Military Police Commander by the name of Alyxandrea Smith. We were told she'd meet us here." I smiled softly, more to myself than to her.

"Well, you've got her." I balled my hands up loosely and rested them on my hips. The blond next to Eren pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. I took it with a thanks, unfolded it and read the contents.

 _Alyx,_

 _I know this is short notice but you are to be transferred to the Survey Corps effective immediately. All your things have been sent to the Scouting Regimen's headquarters already. Please do not worry. Your title with in the Military Police will remain untouched. This transfer is temporary, until further notice. The group that delivered this message will escort you back. Thank you for your service._

 _Commander-in-Chief,_

 _Darius Zackly_

I verbally sighed before tucking the note in my pocket. I gave the blond a sincere smile.

"Well, you all know my name and if I'm going to be travelling with you all, shouldn't I know yours?" They saluted.

"Eren Yeager."

"Armin Arlert."

"Mikasa Ackerman."

"Jean Kirstein."

"Sasha Blouse."


	2. Chapter 2: A New Place

**A/N: So it didn't take me that long to think up Chapter 2, I just got lazy and forgot to post it. Sorry if the story is slow right now! I promise to try and pick up the pace a little more. I don't wanna rush through the story to quickly. Anyways... I hope you enjoy Chapter 2! Don't forget to leave a review!**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned AoT/SnK I wouldn't be writing fanfics.**

 **Chapter 2: A New Place**

 **Alyx POV**

We had set out to the Survey Corps HQ, stopping occasionally for lunch and rest, and starting back up again. Every step I took felt painfully new. The sound of young people, laughing and enjoying each other's company filled the air. I was older than them but it didn't seem like it. They were maybe 16 or 17. I watch the ground under my feet change from cement to dusty brown to ash cobblestone. Stopping in my tracks, I lifted my eyes to the clear blue sky. Birds soared through the air in beautiful blurs of color. Yellow, blue, red, white, grey, and black streams gave chase and cawed in various tones and lengths.

"You okay?" Sasha bounced up next to me. She had a relaxed, bubbly aura about her so much so it was almost scary. Her eyes were searching my face.

"Yeah," I started, "Just a little out of it. Sorry." I gave her the best smile I could muster. I knew what was waiting for me at the Scouting Regiment HQ. I knew that the other Scouts wouldn't be happy to see me.

"I've been meaning to ask," it was as if Jean had magically popped up next to me, if I wasn't trained well enough, I probably would have jumped. "How old are you, Alyx?" He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, red wisps rested on his cheeks.

"I'm old enough for that question to be inappropriate to ask." I watched as the red deepened. "I'm just kidding, Jean." I laughed. "I'm only 22." The color instantly drained from his face. I raised one eyebrow in a confused glace. "What? Is 22 a bad thing?" He furiously shook his head.

"It's not that! I just thought you were our age." On my right, Sasha burst out laughing.

It was almost dark by the time we reached the HQ. Jean and Eren tiredly pushed the front doors open. Not much had happened on our little excursion but walking the whole way took a while and these kids must not be used to it. Sasha started complaining after about 2 hours, Jean and Eren started fighting about a half hour later, and we finally reached our destination after 4 gruesome hours of walking, once on horseback it wasn't so bad. The HQ was located south-east of Hermina, inside Wall Rose. It was a giant stone building. Honestly, it was gorgeous building. It looked like a castle. It was make of large bricks cemented to each other, glass windows lined the walls, some bigger than others, and large wooden doors covered the entrance. It seemed big enough for at least 100 people.

Eren and Jean walked into the HQ first, followed by Armin, Mikasa, and Sasha, and last to walk into the threshold was me. The floors changed from cobblestone to wood, the walls were still brick, candle holders hung from the walls every few feet. The first floor seemed to be like a large hang out area. Couches and coffee tables were scattered here and there, a beautiful chandelier hung in the center of the room holding 25 candles, all glowing marvelously. People wandered about the inside, relaxing on couches, reading, talking, playing games, everyone was wearing the same thing. White pants, tall brown boots, 3DMG straps, a colored shirt, and their military jackets. I watched people greet Eren and his friends, I got glances and stares of hate. I hadn't changed out of my MP attire which might explain most of the stares.

I slipped out of my MP jacket, located a trash bin nearby and dropped it inside. Some of the people watching my actions closely gasped. I stared at the jacket, I had thought that my heart would be heavy, but in reality I felt nothing. I hated the MP just as much as some of the Scouts, maybe even more. With a sigh I looked away, my eyes sliding over everyone in the large room.

"Eren," my voice was soft, "I need to speak to the commander."

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I can take you to him." His smile was sincere.

"No. Just tell me where I need to go." He pointed in the direction I needed and told me what room. I spun on my heels and headed towards the commander's office. My steps echoed down the hallway. My mind raced over what I would say, how I would say it, and hopefully not make a fool of myself. I passed 5 rooms before stopping in front of my destination. I gulped quietly before knocking.

 **Erwin POV**

A quiet rap echoed in my office. My eyes were focused on papers spewed across my desk.

"Come in," plain, emotionless, and simple.

The door creaked when opened and shut quietly. If the door hadn't made a noise I never would have known someone had actually entered. I kept my eyes on the papers. Silence filled the space.

"What can I help you with?" again plain, emotionless, and simple.

"I'm the transferee, sir." It was a woman's voice, soft but strong. I lifted my eyes from my work. The first thing that caught my eye was her long, pale blond hair, pulled up into a high set pony tail, her bangs hung free but brushed to one side. Her cerulean eyes were focused on the floor in front of her, her hands were hidden behind her back.

"Transferee?" I searched my memory for anything related to getting a new recruit, nothing came.

"Yes, sir. Darius Zackly issued my transfer." She lifted her eyes to meet mine. She looked seriously familiar but I couldn't place where. She reached for her pocket and pulled out a cleanly folded piece of paper. When she stepped forward to hand me the note I got a better look at her face. Again, I couldn't place where I knew her from. I opened the note, read its contents, folded it and handed it back to her.

"I don't remember him ever talking to me about it. Military Police huh? That's quite impressive. What's your name?" I gave her a genuine smile which she did not return.

"I am… well, was, the Commander of the Military Police, replacing Nile Dok. My name is Alyxandrea Smith." Straight faced she moved her hands behind her back. My eyes widened. _No way…_ I stood from my seat.

"Aly?" Her cheeks reddened, eyes shifting to her lower left. "Is that really you?" _No way. This can't really be my Aly._

"Will you stop gaping at me?!" she clenched the fabric of her pants. Her cheeks a deep red. _Aly… It is you._ I rounded my desk and walked over to her. She looked up at me as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

"You've grown so much. I didn't even recognize you." I tightened my grip on her. Her arms shot up and wrapped around my waist. "It's so good to see you." I felt her shoulders shake softly as a laugh vibrated against my chest.

"It's good to see you too, big bro."

 **A/N: Yep... I was gunna make him her dad buuut... He's a little young and she's a little old for that. Let me know what you think! Chapter 3 will be out when I'm done with it!**


	3. Chapter 3: Just the Beginning

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took so long to add this chapter! I got distracted by some family stuff and didn't get around to posting it. It's a bit longer than the others so I hope you like it! Also, there is some swearing... Please review! I'd really appreciate it! Thank you and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AoT/SnK, obviously.**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Alyx POV**

Erwin and I had talked for about an hour before two of the Squad Leaders (Captains) showed up. One was a woman with brown hair pulled up into a pony tail, kind of like Sasha, she was the one to take Erwin's place if anything happened to him; her name was Hanji Zoe. The other was someone I had only heard rumors of; the best of the best. He had black hair, his bangs were pushed to the side and hung past his eyes; the back was shorter than the front. His eyes were a cold steel grey. Compared to Hanji Zoe, he looked… angry? Hanji stood with her back to the door, smiling brightly, while Levi had his arms crossed and was… glaring at me.

"…this is Alyx. She's my little sister." Erwin cleared his throat at the wide eyes he received from the two Captains. I bowed my head slightly to them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." My voice was flat but 100% serious. It was a pleasure to meet some of the best soldiers that the Scouts had to offer. Hanji bounced forward and hugged me tightly.

"You're so ADORABLE! Look at you and that cute fierce look in your eyes!" She squeezed tighter. "I never knew Erwin had a little sister. You're the cutest thing ever!" She ran her fingers through my pony tail with one hand and pinched my cheek with the other. "You look nothing live him though." She went on and on for what seemed like forever. I threw a look of 'save me' to Erwin and he just shrugged.

"You're going to strangle her, stupid glasses." Levi's voice only made Hanji hug me tightly to her chest. I was about 3 inches shorter than her and at the angle I was standing due to her hug, my face was pressed against her boobs. She sighed and let go of me. My pony tail holder had slipped down from its original spot. I smiled weakly at Levi and whispered a thanks. He nodded without even looking at me.

"Back to the point," started Erwin. "Alyx was originally in the position of Military Police Commander and because she can't be a commander here, nor has she been outside the wall, I was thinking of putting her into the special ops group. Of course, that's after we test her skills. What do you say Levi?" Erwin, Hanji, and I looked to Levi's scowling face.

"Her training will be by my rules if she's to be part of my group. Not the usual bullshit the others go though." He was extremely blunt.

"Agreed." I could feel Erwin's eyes flick to me, noticing my straight face he nodded.

 **Levi POV**

"Agreed." Her face was blank. Erwin's mouth was open to respond but she beat him to it. I looked over the girl. She was rather beautiful. Long pale blond hair, unlike her brother's bold blond. She had soft blue eyes, again unlike her brother. _Are these two really related?_ She smiled at something Hanji said and my heart almost stopped. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ Her pale skin was flawless, smooth; perfect. _This girl… she was a commander? She seems so young._

"How old are you?" I forcefully interrupted whatever joke stupid glasses was going on about. I stared straight into Alyx's eyes and she stared back into mine.

"I'm 22. Why?" My breath hitched. _22?! She's barely old enough to legally drink, let alone be a commander!_

"You were the Military Polices Commander at 22? Isn't that a little young?" I kept my surprise hidden as much as possible.

"Yes. I was." She glared at me with those beautiful blue eyes sending my heart into a dizzying rush. "It was a last minute decision. The commander before me… had some complications. I was put in the position to maintain order throughout the ranks. That's all. That doesn't matter now." I nodded. _Damn this woman._

 **~One week later~**

 **(Still Levi POV)**

No matter how hard I pushed her, she never broke. It seriously pissed me off. I needed to find her breaking point before I could just allow her into my squad. She had done laps around the HQ like they were nothing, using the 3DMG was easy for her, her sword skills were on par with my own, hand to hand was easy to begin with but she blew everyone out of the water. This woman was as good as Mikasa, maybe even better. One thing she struggled with was all the male cadets hitting on her. Eren and Jean had been drooling over her all week. She ran laps with the other girls in the evening before dinner. Erwin scolded them for gawking; as if that would stop them. I watched her run with the other girls, noting how her hair swished back and forth with every step she took. Looking to the sky I filled my lungs with air before letting it out in a sigh.

"Levi-haichou!" I looked to my left to find Eren running toward me at full speed. Eren never ran unless he had to.

"What is it?" I grumbled. He stopped in front of me, gasping for air.

"We've gotten," gasp, "reports of," gasp, " _THEM_ in the area." My eyes widened.

"Get the others ready to move. Tell them to pack bread and water for dinner on the go." He nodded before bolting off again.

 **Alyx POV**

I watched Eren run off after talking to Levi. I looked to the other girls for an explanation but no one said anything. Mikasa nodded at me and took off after Eren. I jogged up to Levi.

"What's going on?" my voice was quiet and filled with worry.

"Titan sighting. Go get ready." My mouth dropped open; eyes wide. _A Titan?! How?!_ I nodded sharply bolting off through the front doors, up two flights of stairs, down a long hallway, and into my assigned room. I locked the door behind me just in case. I slipped out of my black tied up t-shirt, sports bra, and shorts leaving them scattered on the floor. I grabbed my uniform from the dresser against one wall, as well as a white tank top, bra, and socks. I put my arms through the bra straps and clasped it behind my back. The white tank top hugged my thin frame. I stepped into the white uniform pants, they were a little tight but they would loosen up as I wore them. The straps that held the 3DMG were being a pain and wouldn't do what I wanted them to quick enough. It took me longer than I wanted to get changed. I attached my 3DMG into place and grabbed my Survey Corps jacket and cape from my bed before bolting out of the room, slamming the door behind me in a rush.

My legs carried me forward and back out the way I came. Almost everyone in the SC was getting their horses from the stable and forming the planned out formation for exiting the walls. I had studied the formation countless times. I knew exactly who would be where, who was in charge of each sector, and the movement of each sector. I would be right in the middle with Levi, Eren, and two others I didn't know the name of. It was up to us to push through as much as we could, to avoid attracting the attention of as many titans as possible.

I threw my SC jacket on as I rushed up to my horses stall. All of the horses used were specially breed for their speed, stamina, and temperament so it wasn't like anyone had one better than someone else the only difference was the coloring of the horse. Mine was solid black with a single white mark on its forehead. I slipped into the stall and threw a saddle over her back, fastening it under her belly. I pat the side of her neck, secured my cape around myself, and hoisted myself up onto my beauty's back. She trotted out of her stall and into the formation at my direction. Levi and Eren were already in place as well as the other two I didn't know. I took my spot next to Levi. Eren was in between and behind us, the other two took up the rear directly behind me and Levi (kind of like an 'X' shape). I glanced behind me at Eren, his face was like stone staring straight ahead; his eyes were focused on Erwin at the very front of everyone. His horse paced back and forth as we waited for the last few soldiers to find their place, when they did his voice carried over every person.

"Titans have been spotted trying to break through the wall again. It's up to us to stop that from happening. We will stop and rest at an outpost near the wall. If you get there before anyone else, stall your horse and wait inside for others to arrive. Stay in your squads at all costs and don't take risks! Let's go!" Everyone cheered and the large group moved forward.

"Levi… I'm moving up to talk to my brother. I promise to be back before we spilt up." I didn't look at him or even wait for a response. I urged my horse forward maneuvering between other horses till I reached Erwin.

"Erwin…" I picked up the pace to match Erwin's horse at the very front.

"Aly? I told everyone to stay in their squads; that includes you too." If he was angry he didn't show it, he sounded normal.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to say good luck and be safe." I leaned over towards him with a smile. "Love you."

"Same to you, pip-squeak. Now get back to your squad before Levi personally kills you." His smile was just as I remembered it. I nodded before pulling back on my horses reins till he came to a trot. People rushed by as I waited for my squad. I peeked over my shoulder and the look Levi was giving me could have killed. I snapped the reins as the 4 of them approached and matched speed easily. No matter how hard I tried to keep a straight face it didn't work. Levi was absolutely furious and he had every reason to be. I couldn't help but laugh at his deeply furrowed brows and lips thinned into a line. He looked like a ticking time bomb but whatever. Nothing he could say would change the fact Erwin was my brother and I had every right to tell him to be careful. I stared ahead as our journey continued. Minutes seemed like hours as the pounding of horses feet eventually became background noise.

The whole trip to the outpost went off without a hitch. No one got lost, no one was hurt, but all of us were hungry. Hunger wasn't the only problem though, there was more people than rooms at the outpost. Erwin had everyone gather in the dining room area, it was lined with tables and chairs again not enough to hold everyone. The outpost had maybe twenty rooms, we have over fifty people, meaning at least three people to a room. Scattered people shouted out their ideas for how we could arrange the rooms, others complained about not being able to have a real meal, and the rest remained quiet waiting for orders. I sat in a chair at the very back of the room, left leg crossed over the right and my arms folded over my chest. I watched Erwin talking to Hanji and Levi at the very front of the room, Hanji looked worried about the situation and was trying to calm everyone down. Levi was as stoic as he usually was and not helping at all. Erwin looked slightly annoyed at the stupid things people were shouting out.

"Shut up, all of you!" Erwin rarely lost his cool but when he did it was scarier than anything I had ever seen. His voice was shook the room and just as quickly as everyone had become loud, they were silent. I couldn't help but snicker at the looks on the faces of some newer people who didn't know Erwin very well.

"We're dividing the rooms up by squads," _What?_ My jaw dropped. "Your squad leaders will show you to the assigned rooms. Dinner will be brought to the rooms after everyone is settled in." Everything was completely silent. No one dared to speak against his orders.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me…" Well, everyone except me. Heads turned my way, eyes locking on my small frame hiding in the back. Erwin only glared at me.

"Is there a problem, Cadet Smith?" Erwin's blue eyes locked with mine. _He's sizing me up._ I put up my walls. He may be my brother, but he is also the Commander of the Survey Corps. My Military Police rank means nothing here and the fact I'm his sister means even less.

"Actually, sir, there is." I stood from my seat, I kept my arms crossed over my chest. I wasn't scared of him, nor was I worried about any punishment that would befall me. "I believe it's inappropriate for us women to sleep in the same room as the men. How would you feel if your little sister was forced to sleep with a bunch of guys?" Yeah, I went there. Only Hanji and Levi knew Erwin was my brother, and he wanted to keep it that way. I heard Hanji snort from trying not to laugh. Everyone was watching me and didn't notice the red-tint to Erwin's face. I got my point across without anyone else finding out our relationship.

"All women, please raise your hands." Only seven hands went up, including mine and Hanji. Erwin sighed. "Alright, four of you to one room, the other 3 to another. Everyone else will be in their squads. Now go and rest. Dinner will be brought to each room. Dismissed." He turned and strode out of the room.

"That was amazing, Alyx!" Sasha bounced over to me followed by Mikasa. She always looked so cheery even in this kind of situation. "I thought you were going to get your head ripped off! No one's ever talked to the commander like that, except maybe Levi-heichou." I laughed. _I'm sure he has too._

"Hey, Alyx, that was extremely brave of you." Hanji sauntered her way over and rested her elbow on my shoulder.

"Brave and stupid…" Levi was standing a good five feet away from the four of us. "You make some pretty stupid moves for being the ex-commander of the Military Police." My heart almost stopped.

"Oh shut it, Levi. It's not like you've never said anything like that to Erwin before." Hanji defended me.

"I respect Erwin and his decisions. I need to speak with Cadet Smith, privately." He didn't look away from my face. Sasha and Mikasa took the hint and told me that they would meet us at our room. Hanji pat my head before walking off, leaving me completely alone in the dining room with Corporal Levi. My heart was pounding in my chest, loud enough that I worried if he could hear it. I kept my face completely flat. Silence echoed in the sparse room for seconds, minutes.

"Sir, if there is something you wish to say, than by all means please do. I am rather tired and wish to get some rest." I strained my voice to hide my annoyance and anger. _He says he wants to talk and yet-_

"Do you think you're better than the rest of us? That you don't have to live by the same standards and rules the rest of us do?" My brows furrowed. _How dare he?! I never said that!_

"You son-of-a-bitch…" I hadn't noticed my hands clenching into tight fists, my knees slightly bent ready to pounce at any second, and my jaw set in stone.

"You do whatever the hell you feel like doing whenever you feel like doing it. You are not in control here. You have no power. You are nothing but an ordinary soldier. Don't think that just because Erwin is your brother, that you can disobey orders. If you act like you did today outside the walls, where the titans are, you will die. You are an arrogant little brat that's been spoiled completely rotten. You don't know what we're up against out there and I'm responsible for keeping my squad alive. You are part of my squad, but if you put the other members of this faction in danger, I will not hesitate to save them before you. Pull your head out of your ass and listen to orders for once." I could feel my heart crumbling. Piece by piece shattered. My hands curled up even tighter, my nails digging into the palms of my hand so deeply they almost bled. My legs had grown weak but held my weight, barely.

A loud crack filled the room. I felt my fingers going numb on my right hand. My body had taken over on its own. My legs began to collapse but collected themselves and took off in a run out of the room. My mind was blank. All I could see was blurred walls and floors, nothing distinct. I slowed my pace as I neared the front door of the outpost and pushed it open with all the strength I could and slammed it behind me.

The cool night air brought me back to my senses. His words played through my head over and over. They hurt. They hurt so badly. My hands clasped over my mouth as I let out a shattered breath. I tried to hold back my useless tears but they wouldn't obey. _Pull your head out of your ass and listen to orders for once._ Even my tears didn't obey orders. I knew deep down that he was right about everything he said. I always praised the Survey Corps. I always believed that they were the best. I respected my brother for his choices. I always looked up to him and believed that I could be just as good as him one day, maybe even better. I was put in charge of the Military Police but never changed my opinion of the Scouts. Maybe at some point I truly became just as bad as the rest of the Military Police. If I wanted something, I took it. I never stole anything from anyone, but I didn't have to get an 'okay' from anyone to do anything. It was different here.

I moved my hands from my mouth and looked at the right one. It was bright red and pulsing. I barely remember moving. I felt my hand sting before I even knew what had happened. I struck a supervisory soldier, not only that but it was Levi of all people. I knew that from today on he was going to make my life a living hell.


	4. Chapter 4: Please

**A/N: Hey guys! So I got a little excited about the upcoming chapters and ended up all of Chapter 4 in one day. The end was written when I was like... half awake, so I apologize if it's not very good. Also, I'm considering starting a Naruto fanfic for anyone whose interested. Remember to REVIEW!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AoT/SnK!**

 **Chapter 4**

Two hours later I finally decided to move from my spot outside. I figured most people would be asleep by now so I wouldn't get poked and pestered about what had happened between me and Corporal Levi. I slipped through the front doors as silently as I could but that effort was wasted. When I turn to head back to the room I shared with Sasha and Mikasa, the clearing of a throat made my legs freeze in place. _Oh shit…_ I scanned my eyes around the area in front of me but saw nothing. _It must be my imagination._ I took a step forward and froze again. The whole front entrance was dark, the only light coming in was moonlight from one large window above the doors but it did nothing to light the opening inside. Something had moved along one wall but I couldn't see exactly what it was.

"Who's there?" My voice came out fierce and unafraid but my heart raced in my chest. No one answered. I listened for anything indicating that I wasn't alone. I knew deep down someone was there, my eyes played tricks on me when it was dark but my ears never failed me. I bent my knees and pulled my arms up in front of me, hands balled into fists, in the best defensive stance I could muster. I backed up against the heavy wood door behind me. _If they're going come at me it won't be from behind._ I scanned the room again. A flicker of silver across the room caught my eye. _What the hell is that?_ I furrowed my brows, "I know you're there. Come out." The person had their hands held up like they were surrendering when they stepped closer for me to see them.

"I didn't mean to scare you." My heart dropped at the voice. _Of all people._ I relaxed my arms and stood straight. Even in the dark his smile was blinding. I hung my head in shame. He stopped a few feet from me. "I'm not mad at you Aly. A little disappointed, yes, but not mad." I didn't move. I didn't breathe. I just stood still as a statue staring at the floor. "Aly, look at me." I shook my head. I heard his footsteps close the distance between us. A large, warm hand gripped my chin and forced my head to look up into the beautiful cerulean eyes I knew so well. I felt like a child being scolded, he didn't have to actually scold me to make me feel like this. I loved my brother, looked up to him; I wanted to be just like him, even if it was an impossible task. He was strong, caring, charismatic, loyal, and trustworthy, more so than anyone else I knew.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. He laughed.

"It's not me you have to apologize to," He removed his hand from my chin and placed it on my head. "Levi told me what happened. He didn't say what he did to hurt you."

"Yeah, it sure didn't seem like it." Sarcasm dripped from my voice.

"Aly, I'm serious. He's been through hell and back. He just doesn't want to watch any more people in his team die." My eyes shifted to the floor. "He doesn't hate you, he actually cares more about his team than a lot of others do. You know about the female titan, correct?" I nodded.

"Annie Leonhardt, she's in that crystal thing." He pat my head. "I never got to know her personally but she was a titan-shifter. I remember the fight between her and the other titan."

"That other titan was Eren Yeager." My mouth dropped. I had heard that the Survey Corps had taken in a titan-shifter but I never would have guessed it was Eren. "Levi is in charge of the Special Operations Squad. That squad is an elite hand-picked group of people. Before everything happened with the female titan in side Wall Sina, we did an expedition outside the walls. This squad was considered the most elite, having a total kill record over 200 and could kill any titan. They could coordinate their attacks without direct communication. I had given them the order to protect Eren Yeager from any titan and a secret objective, to lure the Female Titan into a trap. The mission failed. All members of the Special Operations Squad, except for Eren and Levi, were killed by Annie. Gunther Schultz, Oluo Bozado, Petra Ral, and Eld Jinn did what I asked them to do, and they died because of it." Erwin removed his hand from my head, looking straight into my eyes.

"I…I didn't know." Tears were one the verge of spilling over. _God… How horrible…_ My stomach twisted, flipping over and churning uncontrollably.

"We lose people every day, Aly. You need to be prepared for that. This is nothing like the Military Police, we face titans every time we leave the walls." He moved my bangs away from my face and planted a soft peck on my forehead. "I don't mean to scare you. Go get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." And with that, he left. I padded through the entrance, down a hall, upstairs, and to the door of the room I was staying in. I stopped outside the door and listened for voices or movement inside the room. It sounded quiet, so with a quiet sigh I pushed open the door, praying that they were asleep. My prayers were answered for once. The room was relatively small but had two bunk beds, one on each wall, with a window opposite of the door. Mikasa was on the top bunk to my right and Sasha was on the bottom bunk to my left. I smiled to myself, thanking whatever god was looking down on me in that moment and closed the door. I figured sleeping on the bottom bunk under Mikasa would be easiest and wouldn't make as much noise as trying to get on the bunk above Sasha. I quickly stripped from my uniform and slipped under the blankets in just my underwear. Sleep claimed me within seconds.

 **The Next Morning**

I was pulled from my sleep by something poking me in the cheek. I tried swatting it away, it stopped momentarily but soon started back up again. With a groan I peeled my eyes open and was greeted by Sasha's smiling face and Mikasa's calm exterior.

"What?" Venom laced the words. Sasha's smile grew even bigger. As she opened her mouth to talk, Mikasa answered my question.

"What happened between you and Levi-heichou yesterday?"

"What do you mean 'what happened'? We just talked." I sat up and looked at them again. Sasha was in a pair of dark green shorts and a white bra, Mikasa was in black underwear and a black bra.

"We mean what happened. You didn't get back in until after we fell asleep. We were tempted to go look for you but Mikasa said you could hold your own, so we stayed here waiting." I swung my legs over the edge of my bunk and glanced out the window while the girls sat down on either side of me.

"Well… we talked." I didn't really wanna talk about it until I could apologize to Levi.

"Talked? That's it?" I nodded.

"Bullshit," they said in unison.

"I'm serious. He said somethings and I got upset so I went to get some fresh air and lost track of time." They both looked at me, wanting to ask more questions but chose not to. I pushed myself up off the bed and walked over to the window. The sun had barely peeked out from the horizon making the sky a beautiful array of blues and yellows, wisps of clouds speckled the sky with grey and white. _6:00 am or relatively close._ I looked over at Sasha and Mikasa. Their eyes were wide and mouths slightly open.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I touched my face for emphasis.

"You have an amazing body, Alyx! Are you like a model or something?" Sasha looked down at herself and then back up at me. "How do you keep your skin so smooth? And are you wearing a push-up bra or are those natural? Also, your ass is like, perfect. Share your secrets!" I raised one brow at her.

"Um… Thanks? No, I'm not a model. My skin is smooth because I've never been in a fight that's caused bodily harm or left scars. Yes, they are natural. And I don't have any secrets?" At this point, I was really confused. Why did what my body look like even matter? I mean, so what if my ass looks good or not, it's not like it's there to impress anyone. I just happened to get my mother's assets.

"I'm so jealous!" Sasha squealed. We spent a half hour talking about beauty tips that we'd never get to use, due to the fact that we didn't have the products nor the time. Mikasa had mentioned that if we didn't get ready we'd miss breakfast and to that Sasha moved faster than the speed of sound and got dressed. I slipped on my uniform and secured the straps around my legs and waist. Sasha begged to play with my hair before I put it up. She actually French braided it and even then it hung to the middle of my back. I chose to leave the braid in and Sasha was thrilled.

The three of us walked down to the dining area together. When we reached the open doors Sasha spotted someone of interest, she said his name was Connie and that they were 'the best of friends' and left to sit with him. Mikasa wandered off to sit with Eren and Armin. I stood in the entrance like a lost puppy. I only knew a few people and even then I wasn't all that comfortable around them. I scanned the room for the one person I felt comfortable around, even though I knew people would say something if I sat with him, I didn't care. I looked and looked but couldn't find him, with a sigh I wandered into the filled room.

The scent of coffee hit me like a brick wall and as if on cue my stomach groaned with need. I scooted and shuffled my way over to where the piping hot coffee was and snatched up a mug. It was a solid white piece of cool glass. I reached for the pot holding the delicious caffeine and poured it into the cup, almost to the top, and added two rather large spoonful of sugar and a shot of milk. I moved back out into the hallway with my mug in hand. I wasn't about to take up a seat just to drink my coffee. I lifted the drink to my lips and sipped from it. The first sip burned my mouth but after that it was perfect temperature. I guzzled down the caffeinated beverage like a savage beast. Coffee was my weakness. I washed the cup out in a sink located in the kitchen across from the dining room. When I returned to the front hall some people were putting on their jackets and heading outside, I followed two older men out. They were talking about their families back home, one said that his oldest daughter was getting married soon and that he hoped to be home before the wedding date, the other told him congratulations an wished the man's daughter a life of happiness. Once outside I could see horses being moved from stalls and riders moving to their positions. Gathering up my 3DMG I climbed up on my horse.

"Good morning, my beauty." I ran my hand over her silky mane. She whinnied and bounced on her feet in a show like manner. "Some ones in a good mood this morning." I pulled on her reins and led her to the group of riders ready for the last leg of our journey before the real action began. I said my 'hello's and 'see you later's to Jean, Sasha, Mikasa, Armin, and Hanji. I still hadn't seen Erwin or Levi. Eren had stopped his horse next to mine and we created small talk for a period of time until the other two members of Squad Levi showed up.

"Commander Erwin and Levi-heichou are late." One of the men in our group stated. I looked over my shoulder at him. He was ordinary looking, short brown hair and dark brown eyes, regular build, rounded face, and a cocky smile gracing his lips.

"Maybe they're discussing something important," said the other man, who was also just as ordinary, only he had black hair instead of brown. I rolled my eyes.

"Or maybe you should mind your own business, Cadet." Levi's voice caused both men to jump. He stopped his horse on the other side of mine. I refused to look at him and he never glanced at me. Erwin arrived at the very front of everyone shortly after Levi showed up. He gave a short speech and off we went. It was maybe an hour ride to the wall and it was an hour of silence in our group. By the time we reached the wall, I was tense and couldn't stand another moment of quietness. _It's not me you should be apologizing to._ Erwin's words echoed in my head. I knew I had to apologize but I didn't want to do it in front of the others, I doubt Levi would want anyone else to know he had been bitch slapped. We tied our horses up and regrouped just inside the wall. The large rock was still in place and everything seemed extremely quiet for having reports of a titan sighting. I adjusted my 3DMG, full gas, full on blades, triggers moved smoothly, everything seemed to be working fine. I could hear Eren talking to the other squad members, including Levi, about how quiet the whole trip was.

"Alyx?" I pulled on the straps around my chest making sure that nothing was loose from riding.

"Hm?"

"What do you think?"

"About what, Eren?"

"About how quiet the trip was."

"Well," I sighed heavily, "We didn't have to worry about titans inside the wall so that might be one reason. None of us talked the entire trip would be-" I was cut short by an ear piercing scream. It was a gut wrenching, blood curdling scream. I whipped my head up to face the top of the wall and my heart stopped. On the very top of the wall perched a titan. It was maybe five or six meters and had ragged black hair, beady black eyes, and extremely sharp looking teeth. Its claws held onto the edge of the wall on our side and its legs bent, holding itself up. _What the hell…_ It looked over all of us from the distance before lunging down with its claws extended toward the ground. Everything happened so quickly.

More yells and screams erupted from all around me, people that were in the direction of the titan flew up onto the wall with their 3DMG. That's when everything went into slow motion, I recognized one man in particular, it was the man whose daughter was getting married, he pushed off of the wall to land a blow to the titan but he wasn't fast enough. The titan lunged up at him as he fell. He quickly realized his mistake but couldn't correct his direction of travel. The titan opened its mouth and bit right though the man's upper half, red splattered the titans chin and chest. I watched the man's lower half drop the ground with a silent thud. Bile rose in my throat. _This… This can't be real…_ I drew my swords. My mind screamed at me to run, get as far away from here as possible, but my heart told me to fight, fight like today was, and very well might be, my last day. I watched more people fling themselves at the titan, one managed to land a faint gash on its arm before it slashed its claws through him, send his body down in a shower of blood and shredded skin.

Blond hair caught my eye. _Erwin!_ Moving on instinct, my legs jetted me forward and into the scramble. My fingers clicked the triggers in a memorized movement. Hook and wire shot from my gear and lodged into Wall Rose propelling myself upward above the fight I saw reality, blood and body parts littered the ground around the titan. It was extremely fast and even more deadly than I originally deduced. I caught sight of Erwin and he noticed me too, his face was full of fear, complete, unadulterated fear. I adjusted my footing and readied myself to attack. Swords at the ready, I clicked the triggers again to release the hooks from the wall and pushed off. The titan was distracted and had its back to me, big mistake. My small frame shot from the wall, falling faster than I ever had before as adrenaline pumped through my veins. Twisting my body in the air, going for the kill, it felt like bliss, as if someone had pumped me full of drugs except my senses were clear, more than clear. The world around me blurred as my body spun. I felt my swords connect with the titan's flesh and shortly after my feet connected with the ground below. I spun to find I had caught the side of its neck. _My aim was dead on._ My brows furrows deeply.

"How the hell did you dodge that?" I whispered to myself. The titan dropped the person it hand in its hand and locked eyes with me. I could feel my insides squirm in despair. _Not only did I miss, but now what..._ As quickly as it had moved earlier, its hand slashed towards me. I prepared myself to move when its nails connected with metal. In front of me stood my savior, a man slightly taller than me with short black hair. He held his swords in front of himself and the titan's dagger nails clashing against them. He threw a glance over his shoulder at me. Silver locked with pale blue and in that moment I knew what he was asking me to do. I nodded, readied my swords and flew from the ground. The titan had two options, slash out at Levi with its other hand and be killed by me, or release its one hand to protect itself and attack me but be killed by Levi. This was a win-win situation for us either way.

My adrenaline was still pumping when I turned myself in midair. Pain seared up my left side as the titan's nails skimmed across my ribcage, slicing through my jacket and tank top. I was lucky it wasn't any deeper. It had turned its attention completely to me and I watched as Levi spun and sliced cleanly through the back of the titan's neck with ease. It collapsed the ground sending up a dust cloud littering the air.

The second my feet hit the ground I bolted into a run towards my hero. Where I landed was dry, clean grass, as I got closer to where Levi was standing, the ground became patched with red.

"Alyxandrea…" Levi gave me a somber glance. I scanned for a head of blond but came up empty.

"Erwin…" a delicate murmur slipped from my lips. I felt my legs shaking under me. "No…" Numb fingers gripped the fabric above my chest. I scanned the ground, the air, everywhere for my brother's familiar form. "Erwin!" The scream ripped through my throat like burning acid. "Erwin!" I set my sights on one direction and as I went to move a hand tightened around my upper arm. Pulling got me nowhere, Levi was much stronger than me. "Let me go!" I pulled against him again and once more got nowhere. "Levi, let me go! I have to find-"

"Stop it." His voice was demanding and rough. I felt everything in my body shut down simultaneously. Something warm slithered down my side to the top of my pants as I let out a shattered breath.

"But Erwin might be-"

"Stop." His silver eyes burrowed into mine, thoughts about Levi's old team plowed to the front of my mind. He had lost everyone before… _You do whatever the hell you feel like doing whenever you feel like doing it. You are an arrogant little brat that's been spoiled completely rotten. You don't know what we're up against out there and I'm responsible for keeping my squad alive. You are part of my squad, but if you put the other members of this faction in danger, I will not hesitate to save them before you. Pull your head out of your ass and listen to orders for once._ My legs gave out and I fell to the ground like a brick. Levi's grip on my arm disappeared and I felt completely alone in an abyss of red. The smell of metallic gore filled my nostrils and I retched. My stomach chose that moment to empty itself and there was no holding back, thankful for the lack of food in my system. I gasped for air in between heaves. _All members of the Special Operations Squad, except for Eren and Levi, were killed…_ _We lose people every day, Aly. You need to be prepared for that. This is nothing like the Military Police, we face titans every time we leave the walls._ We hadn't even left the walls and death surrounded us. I retched again, spilling the rest of my stomach contents onto the ground. 3DMG clanked at my side and a hand slid up and down my back. The world around me was crashing, people yelled back and forth, feet sped to and from, and names were shouted out and counted. I heard my name but couldn't respond, my throat burned and felt swollen.

"Alyxandrea Smith!"

"She's over here!" Levi shouted out. "I've got her!"

"Erwin Smith!" No response. "Erwin Smith!"

"Right here!" It was a faint voice but enough for me to know it was in fact Erwin's voice. My body shook as I sobbed deeply. _Thank god… Oh thank god…_ Levi grabbed my upper arm again, much gentler than before, and helped me stand. Lifting my head, relief and recognition flooded me. I pulled free from Levi's soft touch and barreled towards the only family I had left. His eyes latched onto me and he gave me the best smile his bloodied face could offer. He looked like hell but he was alive. My side screamed at me to stop but that didn't matter. What mattered was my brother was alive. I pressured my weak legs to move faster, I jumped over or soared around anyone in my way. When Erwin was within my reach I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his bloody and torn shirt. One of his arms wrapped around my back pulling me tightly to him. Right now it didn't matter who saw. Screw keeping it a secret. Erwin was my brother, I was his sister, and we were both alive. His heart was pounding in his chest and it was the most beautiful sound in that moment. I pulled back to look up at him. His face was flushed with relief and pain.

"Commander!" Hanji's voice cut through my moment of euphoria. I gave him a quick once-over. His whole right side was bloody. His left arm was still around me but his right arm was gone. I felt all of the color drain from my face.

"Erwin," my voice shook, "your arm."

"It's nothing. I barely feel anything right now." I knew he was lying for my sake. Hanji reached us in seconds with medical supplies in hand. I backed away from my brother to let her take over. She sat him on the ground and began to work on cleaning up his now missing arm. Pain seared up my side again forcing me to clutch my open wound.

"Alyx, you need to get that patched up or it'll only get worse." Hanji said.

"Don't worry about me, focus on Erwin."

"She's right Aly. Go have Levi look at it." It wasn't a request, it was an order. I nodded before wandering off to find Levi. By the time I found him, my side had become so excruciating I could barely walk. He was crouched down next to one of the victims of this horrible tragedy. It was the same man from this morning, the one who had been bitten in half, whose daughter would be grieving for her loss the same time she would be celebrating her wedding day.

"Levi-heichou," He turned at the call of his name. He stood up straight, wiping his hands on a rag and looked at my side then to my face.

"Take off your jacket if you can." Nodding, I carefully removed my blood stained jacket and dropped it to the ground. He walked up to me and lifted the left side of my shirt to look at the wound. "Take your shirt off." My cheeks flushed.

"W-What?"

"I said take your shirt off. I need to clean and wrap the wound."

I sighed and pulled my tank top up and over my head and held it loosely in my right hand. I didn't feel embarrassed to be in my bra around Mikasa and Sasha, but to be in my bra in front of Levi and any passerby that looked our way was killing me. I could feel my face burning. He lifted the side of my used-to-be grey bra and took the rag he had and wiped away some of the blood oozing from my ribs and side.

"Alyx! Heichou!" Eren just so happened to be running around giving out med-kits to anyone who needed them when he stumbled upon us.

"Eren, give me a hand." Levi demanded.

"Of course."

"I need water and alcohol to clean her wound and bandaged to wrap it." Eren opened the bag he had in his arms. He fumbled around inside and produced exactly what was asked. A canteen of water, a small bottle of medical alcohol, and a rolled up, long bandage wrap. Eren lifted up on my left arm sending a piercing burn down my side. Levi popped open the canteen and splashed my side with it, the water was cool on my burning ribcage. He wiped my side with the rage and splashed me again. He repeated this until most of the blood was cleared from my pale skin. Next came the alcohol, I whimpered at the pain it caused but it didn't last long. All my pain evaporated within seconds. Eren grabbed a patch from the bag and handed it to Levi, he opened it and slipped it under the side of my bra and wrapped the long bandage under my breasts and around my body to cover the rest of the wound and pinned it. When both men moved away I held my tattered tank top to my chest for coverage. I went to grab my jacket but Eren beat me to it. He threw it over his arm with a smile.

"I'll go find you a new shirt," and off he went. Silence filled the space between Levi and myself.

"Heichou…" I tried to keep my voice even.

"What is it?" He watched after Eren.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For slapping you. I shouldn't have raised my hand to you." I glanced at him.

"You're right, you shouldn't have, but I was out of line." He peeked at me out of the corner of his eye and slipped off his jacket. He stepped around me and draped it over my shoulders. "Let's go, Alyxandrea."

"Please, Levi-heichou, it's just Alyx."

"Levi. Just Levi."


	5. Chapter 5: Resolve

**A/N: Hello! I know I just posted a chapter but I wanted to end the next one when I did. It's shorter than the last two but whatever. The rest of them will be a little longer than this one sooooo... Yeah! Please Review!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AoT/SnK**

 **Chapter 5**

I slipped my arms through the sleeves of Levi's jacket and held it together in the front. My stomach was mostly covered by the bandages so I wasn't worried about showing a little skin. I glanced around us, taking in everything that had happened. Where we stood was fresh green grass, undisturbed by the raging titan, and yet only a few feet away was blood soaked dirt and body pieces. I thought about how scary the whole situation was. The titan seemed to appear from thin air and it moved faster than ordinary titans. It didn't attack senselessly but titans don't have the capability to plan out something like that. Also… _How did it get on top of the wall?_ A tug on the sleeve of the borrowed jacket brought me back to reality.

"Levi…" I ran over the scene when we had arrived and when the first scream erupted. There was no titan on the wall when we got here and there wasn't a lightning strike like when the Colossal Titan appeared outside of Shiganshina.

"I don't know." He must have followed my line of sight to the top of the wall and figured out what I was going to ask, or he's just a fucking mind reader. He pulled on the sleeve a little harder and I reluctantly followed. I wanted to figure out what I had missed, how this had happened, and why no one else had noticed it too.

I walked next to Levi silently, my mind turning, looking for an answer. I saw him move his arm but thought nothing of it until his hand smacked the back of my head.

"Ow! What the hell?!" I released the grip I had on the jacket front to rub the stinging spot and glared.

Out of the fifty of us that went on the trip, thirteen had died, and ten were injured. It was up to the non-injured and barely injured soldiers to wrap the bodies and load them onto the cart to be taken back to their families for burial. I was put in charge of writing down names. My side was still killing me but there were others in worse shape that needed the medical attention. Levi called out another name, I jotted it down. I watched him and the brunette from our squad wrap him in a blanket/tarp and carefully lift him up into the cart.

"There should be one more." My emotional walls were raised and I refused to let them come down. No one here cried for the people who had lost their lives. They had seen so much loss that it was almost a daily occurrence. If they cried for every person that died they wouldn't get anything accomplished. Hard faces and hard hearts carried the injured to another cart or helped give medical attention to those in need. A small group prayed for the people who lost their lives today, praying that they would find peace in heaven. Another group gathered the horses to depart.

"-Tate, 54."

"Uh… sorry what was the name again?" I snapped my attention back to the task at hand. Levi let out a sigh.

"Elijah Tate, 54." The pencil in my hand moved and created beautiful cursive letters. I glanced up and saw that the wrap was smaller than some of the others. A picture of an older man flying towards the raged titan flashed behind my eyes. _Oh god…_ Voices shouted back and forth announcing that everyone was loaded up and ready to go. I checked over the list again and counted the number of bodies stacked in the cart, everything matched up. Without even a second glance, I walked towards my horse. She whinnied and snorted when she saw me, her feet stomping the ground and pulling back to get the reins free from the handler. The handler was a tall woman with fiery red hair. She pulled on the reins and tried to calm the horse down.

"It's alright." I shouted to her. My horse pulled and stomped harder and freed herself from the handlers grip. The woman yelled as the horse came plowing towards me. I reached out my right hand as the hose slowed to a stop and my beauty rubbed her nose against the dirty palm of my hand. I ran my hand up her nose to the top of her lowered head. She nuzzled her snout against my cheek.

"I'm alright, Anahi. It's just a scratch." I side stepped her and ran my hand down the side of her neck. I grabbed the horn of her saddle, slipped a foot through the stirrup, and hoisted myself up into the seat. I took a deep breath and gripped her reins. I directed her towards the horse handler.

"Can I get Levi-heichou and Eren Yeager's horses too please?" The woman nodded and tied a short rope to my horses saddle then tied it to the reins of a solid brown stallion and handed me the reins to a beautifully marbled mare. I said a quick 'thank you' and trotted in the direction of my two squad mates. They were deep in conversation when I approached with their horses. Eren's teal eyes widened.

"You shouldn't be on a horse in your condition!" He shouted.

"I'm fine." Eren moved to untie his horse from mine.

"I'm being serious, Alyx."

"So am I." I held out the leather straps of Levi's mare. He took them gratefully. "I would just be taking up space in the cart, it's already looking cramped and I only have a few small cuts compared to what some of the others have. Don't worry about me so much." Eren turned his face away.

 **Levi POV**

Eren turned his face away from Alyx. I caught a hint of red on his cheeks before he climbed up on his horse and galloped off.

"He's right you know." I glanced up at her. Her normally beautiful pale blond hair had come loose from its braid and hung around her petite face, clumping together in some spots from blood. Her usually warm and happy eyes were cold and empty. This was the first time she had ever watched people be brutally murdered in front of her and she would never forget it, never get the gore out of her memories. With a sigh I heaved myself up onto my horse. I looked at her again to which she nodded and we moved towards the retreating injured. I pulled my horse up next to the cart Erwin was sitting in. He was shirtless with bandages wrapped around the stump of his missing arm, up over his shoulder and around his chest. Alyx kept her distance from everyone else and her eyes turned down to the leather reins resting in her palms. Erwin watched her, grief swimming in his cerulean orbs.

"Thank you." Erwin's voice was even, no pain resonated the deep tones. He clutched his right shoulder as he watched his sister. "She saved my life and you saved hers. I owe you one, Levi." I shook my head. How could he think that he owed me for saving the life of a comrade? She risked her life to protect what was precious to her.

"She's reckless." _How did I manage to get stuck with_ _ **two**_ _stubborn little brats?_ I glanced back at the young woman. The other cadets had swarmed her. She was smiling and laughing at something Jean had said, Armin asked her about how she managed to move so quickly, Sasha and Mikasa just listened to the conversation. Eren and Hanji joined the little group bring in their own questions and comments. Alyx laughed again, her smile and laugh were forced; she put on a brave face for her friends but it was easy to see through.

"She's never had to weigh the option of her life against the lives of others. I remember a certain someone saying, 'the only thing we're allowed to do… is to believe that we won't regret the choice we made.' I don't believe she regrets her choice." I smirked at his choice of words. If she doesn't regret her choice to throw her life into the hands of fate to protect her brother, then why does she look so… fragmented? Watching people die is damaging but she was ecstatic to see Erwin alive, what's bothering her? "If you're so worried, Levi, go talk to her." I spun my attention back to my Commander. _Worried? Who the hell said I was worried about her?_ I could feel the back of my neck growing warm. I wasn't worried… was I? I turned my face forward. She was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and I wasn't about to be in the center of it. _Damn woman…_

 **Alyx POV**

The trip back to the Recon Corps headquarters was long and quiet. Wounded soldiers stifled cries of pain. We passed through towns on our way back, returning fallen soldiers to their families. A mother cried for her lost son, a wife for her dead husband, and children for their absent father or mother. I could feel the pieces of my heart rip and tear with every sob. These people would never hold their loved ones again, never tell them how much they meant to each other, and never show their love. Bystanders whispered and shouted obscenities at us. Damning us to hell for allowing so many people to die because of one titan. White knuckles clutched the leather straps leading my black mare forward. A woman's shout pulled at the back of my mind. Her voice cut deeply against my heart. She went from soldier to soldier begging for someone to tell her where her father was. A pale hand gripped onto the sleeve of my borrowed jacket with enough force to pull me from my thoughts. I looked at her somberly.

"Please, miss… I'm looking for my father. His name is Elijah Tate," she begged. I felt the last piece of my heart shatter. I knew this moment would eventually come but I didn't want to be the one to tell her that her father wouldn't be coming home, he would never be able to walk her down the aisle to her future husband, and she would never see him again. I stopped my horse, swung myself over and off of her. When my feet touched the ground my back was to the woman, I slowly turned to face her. I clenched my right hand and rested it against my chest above my heart, I put everything into the salute knowing that it wouldn't make a difference to her. I watched her eyes enlarge. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth and her shoulders shook with every sob she unleashed.

"Elijah Tate was a brave man. He put his life on the line for the sake of humanity and lost his life in the line of duty." The Scouting Legion's parade through the town came to a halt and every eye was on me. "There is no way for us to show him our appreciation for everything he has done, nor are there enough words for me to tell you how extremely sorry we are for your loss. There is no way for us to repay you or your father for his service. I wasn't strong enough nor fast enough to save your father from his horrible fate; for that I am extremely ashamed. But I swear to you, on every fiber of my being, that one day we will put an end to the tyranny that titans hold over us." I bowed my head to her. "Because of your father's sacrifice, we were able to defeat a titan that had come within the walls. I thank him for that. We all thank him for that." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a chain and locket that I had taken from his body before we wrapped him up for transport. "He had this on him when we found him." I held out my closed hand to her; she cupped her hands and I dropped the silver metal into her palms. Her eyes scanned the metal and more sobs broke from her lips, shaking her whole body. "I'm sorry…" I whispered. There was nothing more I could say or do at that moment. I turned to climb back on my horse when her broken voice billowed out.

"Thank you." She grabbed my hand and placed the locket back into my grasp. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. "I want you to have it." She looked deeply into my pale orbs. "Atone his death by killing as many of those monstrosities as you can." I looked down at the silver object resting against my warm palm. _Atone his death…_ I closed my hand around the necklace as tightly as I could and slammed my hand over my heart once more.

"I swear on my life." She nodded at me and backed away. I undid the chain and clasped it around my neck. Saluting the woman once more, I mounted my horse and urged it forward. I could still feel the woman's eyes on my back as I slowly faded in the distance. I had made my resolve. I was, I am, and I remain a soldier, sworn to devote my heart and soul to the restoration of mankind. There is no greater glory than dying for that belief. I will push back against the titans with everything I have. I will never give up. You can't change anything unless you can discard part of yourself too. To surpass monsters, you must be willing to abandon your humanity. Someone who cannot abandon everything cannot achieve anything. I will protect my comrades; my family, and kill as many of those bastards as possible!


	6. Chapter 6: Fever

**A/N: Hey guys! Chapter 6 is here! I just wanna say THANK YOU to the people who have read this story! I really appreciate all my readers and I'd like some personal opinions on how to improve! Please send me either a message or a review. If I don't get messages or reviews, I won't know what to improve on or change! This chapter was sorta... hard to write. I was having a writers block and so this was all I could manage to come up with. I promise the next ones will be better!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AoT/SnK!**

 **Chapter 6**

My time in the Recon Corps seemed to fly by, my days were stacked full of training with the 3DMG, hand-to-hand combat, and, occasionally, I got stuck with the task of being Hanji's delivery girl. Erwin was still the commander of the Survey Corps as far as any of us were concerned but he insisted on having Hanji take over when it came to leaving the safety of the walls. Hanji put me to work running papers back and forth from her office to Erwin's to Levi's and back. Due to the fact I was the (ex) commander of the Military Police and knew most of the paperwork that had to be done by all three Legions, I spent over half of my days writing out exactly what Erwin wanted to say and giving Hanji pointers on how to fill out some of the required papers that Darius Zackly wanted sent in. At one point I actually kicked Hanji out of her office and did the paperwork for her. Her handwriting was sloppy, which aggravated me to no end. I swear it looked like a child had written it.

I sat behind Hanji's large wooden desk with papers stacked in neat piles of done and not done. Hanji was in charge of placing orders for medical supplies, food, uniforms, and other items and because I took over her paper work I sat there, completely stumped. _How the hell do we know how much of something to order?_ A rather loud slam against the closed door made me jump from the seat. I stomped over and flung it open. There stood my savior. Armin stood on the other side, his arms holding another folder of god damned papers.

"Hey, Alyx. Levi-heichou told me to give these to Hanji-san." He held the papers out with a smile. I gave him a menacing smirk and clasped onto his arm.

"Armin, my dear! You have such amazing timing!" His eyes looked like large blue plates. "I need your help with something."

"Um… Okay? What's up?" _Hook, line, and sinker._

"I sort of kicked Hanji out so I could just hurry and finish the paperwork instead of trying to walk her through it and well, I'm stumped on something." I smiled innocently at him. "You see, she's in charge of ordering supplies and stuff, and I don't exactly know how it's done."

"Hanji just left a little while ago with Eren and the others to go pick up some of this stuff."

"Really? Well then why the hell do I have to fill out a paper for it?" I asked the question more to myself but Armin, being the sweetheart he is, answered it for me.

"I think it's more for reference. I could take it to Levi-heichou for you if you'd like." _Bingo!_

"That would be awesome! Thank you so much, Armin!" He took the paper and headed to Levi's office on the other side of the large building. I snickered to myself before opening the folder to look at what Levi sent for Hanji. I figured that she'd just leave it to me anyways. It was a list of names with a small note scrawled out on the top of the first page in a beautiful print.

 _Hanji,_

 _Because of the recent losses it is our job to decide if anyone will move up in rank or remain the same. Page 1 is for Corporal Status. Page 2 is for Squad Leader Status. Please mark your choices with an 'x' and return the pages to my office as soon as possible. Thank you._

 _Corporal Levi Ackerman_

I skimmed over the names on the pages. _Corporal status huh? Let's see here._

Jameson Err _(Don't know him.)_

Greta Willower _(Don't know her.)_

Mikasa Ackerman _(Could totally see that!)_

Samuel Linke-Jackson _(I think I've met him on the training grounds.)_

Alyxandrea Smith _(Wow. I'm on here.)_

I looked over my name again and almost dropped the papers. _Wait… what?!_ The pounding in my chest echoed in my ears like drums. My fingers traced over Levi's perfect handwriting. _This can't be real._ I could feel the light impression from his pen on the paper. _My name really is on here…_

"That's not meant for your eyes." That time I literally did drop the papers but they managed to stay in the tan folder.

"Heichou! I… I'm sorry. I figured that Hanji would end up dumping it on me anyways." His granite eyes seemed to look right through me. A shiver crawled its way up my back. He stepped closer, causing my heart to spiral out of control, and bent down to pick up the papers handing them back to me. I took them and set them on top of the 'not done' pile I had created while keeping my back to him.

"Is she making you do all her paperwork?" He sighed, "Stupid four-eyes."

"I'm sorry, heichou."

"Levi."

I glanced over my shoulder at him, taking in his features. He looked sleep deprived, dark bags had formed under his iron eyes making him look even angrier, his skin was more pale than usual, and his hair wasn't perfectly in place like it normally was.

"You look like hell," I voiced my thoughts and got an icy glare for it. "Literally. Have you gotten any sleep recently?" He shook his head.

"I can sleep when I'm dead," he mumbled.

"At the rate you're going, that won't take long." I bridged my arms, again receiving an icy glare. "Levi, you need to get some sleep."

"I'm fine. I function better on less sleep."

"Levi-"

"Enough, Alyxandrea. Stop worrying about it." I could feel something in the back of my head snap like a rubber band pulled too far. One hand shot out and grabbed a hold of his stupid looking cravat, pulling him close enough that our noses were almost touching. His eyes looked as if they were going to explode from shock. The scowl on my face deepened. That was my breaking point and he knew it.

"I'm putting my life in your hands so don't you dare tell me not to worry about it. You need sleep, Levi. You look like shit and if we were to get called out right now, how could I trust you to keep our squad safe and call out decent orders in this state." His eyes closed for a brief moment and he opened them, looking straight into mine. I could see pain and fear in the back of his eyes. "Levi…" I released my hold on him but he only straightened his back and didn't move from where I had pulled him to. He had about an inch on me so he wasn't quite looking down at me but if felt like it. We didn't look away from each other. Iron met sky in a staring match that lasted for god knows how long and in those moments I could see all the pain he was feeling, see the fear he felt, and I didn't know whether to hug him and say everything would be okay or smack him and tell him to snap out of it. I chose to do neither. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. Heat flared up the back of my neck and around to my cheeks. "Levi… W-what are you-?"

"Shut up." Lips clamping shut, I had to pretty much cross my eyes to look at him. He kept his forehead to mine as I counted the seconds. His skin was warm. Really warm.

"Levi, you have a fever. You need to go lay down." He opened his iron orbs and hazily looked at me. "Please?"

"But you're so warm…" His eyes slid to a close again. "Just a little longer." I pushed him back slightly and moved papers around on Hanji's desk before turning him and helping him sit down on the edge of the heavy wood. He watched me with blurred eyes. I stood directly in front of him and put one hand on top of his head, pulling it down onto my shoulder. His breath tickled my neck. My arms instinctively moved to wrap around his shoulders. The heat in my face was becoming unbearable but my heart ached for what I had seen in Levi's eyes. He was in so much pain and there was nothing I could do. He was afraid of something, Levi Ackerman, humanities strongest soldier, was afraid of something and only god knew what that was. His arms weakly wrapped around my waist as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. "Thank you…" It was the softest of whispers almost non-existent but it caused my heart to break. This wasn't like Levi at all. He's normally such a hard ass that nothing seems to faze him, except cocky people and dust, can anyone say clean freak? His arms released me and hung limply. _You've got to be kidding me…_ His breathing was slow and steady as he drifted off into whatever dream Humanity's Strongest Soldier and Biggest Clean Freak could possibly have.

"Am I interrupting something?" If Levi wasn't leaning against me I'm pretty sure I would have jumped out of my skin. I didn't move, in fear of waking him, so I just replied quietly.

"He has a high fever." I kept my arms around him protectively. "I'm going to need help moving him back to his room. Could you find Armin for me?" I could feel Erwin's eyes burning into the back of my head.

"I guess…" he sighed.

 **Erwin POV**

When I first stumbled upon the two I was shocked to say the least but that shock quickly turned to anger. Levi was sitting on the desk with his head on Aly's shoulder, his face hidden, he had his arms around her waist and I instantly thought of ways to kill him. While planning how to murder him for touching my little sister, his arms dropped and just hung there limply but Aly never moved away from him. When I spoke, she didn't move to push Levi away she pulled him closer. She murmured for me to get Armin and explained that Levi had a high fever. I did what was asked and retrieved the blond cadet.

 **Alyx POV**

When Erwin returned with Armin he helped me move Levi to his room. One arm was over my shoulders and the other over Armin's, we trudged through the halls following Erwin.

"What happened, Alyx?"

"I told him he looked like utter hell and when I touched his forehead he sort of started to collapse. I sat him on the desk and was about to call for someone when the Commander walked in." I sighed. I hated to lie about exactly what had happened but I figured it was for the best. Erwin stopped outside of a door at the far end of the hall and I realized where we were. I glanced across the hall and directly into my room before looking up at Erwin. He twisted the knob and stepped inside. The room was perfectly organized and completely dust free. He had two larger windows in his room, under one was a full sized bed, instead of the normal twin size everyone else had, and he had book shelves lining the same wall as the door and a desk under the second window. I noticed another door against the wall closest to us and a short dresser.

I shifted Levi off my shoulder and ran over to the bed to pull back the blankets. Armin smiled at me and maneuvered Levi over without any issue. For such a weak looking kid, he really does have some muscle, then again Levi can't weigh more than 120 pounds. Between the two of us, we lifted him up and laid him flat on the bed. Erwin never moved from his spot just inside the doorway but Armin helped me cover him with the blankets and check his temperature.

"Armin, come here a sec." He padded over and stood right next to me. I placed one hand on Levi's forehead and the other on Armin's. He jumped at my touch but relaxed once he realized what I was doing. "He's still really warm, but not as bad as earlier… Okay. Thank you guys for the help." I smiled cheerfully but only got a nod from Armin as he turned and exited the room. Erwin remained glued to his spot.

"Please tell me what I saw earlier is exactly what you say it was." I gaped at him. Did he really think that… there's just no way!

"Yes. It's exactly as I said. You don't believe me?"

"Did I say that?"

"You don't have to. I can hear it in your voice." In a low, bitter voice, "He needs his rest and if you aren't here to help me take care of him than leave. I can't believe you." I turned my back to him. _How could he think of me like that?!_

"If you need anything I'll be in my office," and with that he was gone. I scampered around the room looking for something to use as a cooling cloth when I remembered the other door. It was silence when I pushed it open. Behind the door was a small, typical bathroom with a tub, toilet, and sink. Above the sink was a mirrored medicine cabinet, which when I opened it, revealing a toothbrush, toothpaste on the bottom shelf, and a comb and shaving razor on the top. I closed the cabinet and searched the drawers under the sink for a small towel and came up successful. I ran the water until it was cool and soaked the cloth thinking about all the home remedies my mother had taught me. _I wonder if we even have yarrow tea…_ I rung the cloth tightly before returning to Levi's side.

His face was scrunched up and it looked like he was trying to shake his head. I sat on the small lip of the bed next to him and dabbed the cool cloth against this sweaty skin. He seemed to calm down at the action but his eyes quickly flew open and he grabbed my arm hard enough to break it if that's what he wanted.

 **Levi POV**

I tried to pull away from the grip on my legs, tried to run but nothing was working. I opened my mouth to scream but no voice came out. I was sweaty and hot and couldn't breathe, it was dark all around me. The grip around my leg tightened and pulled. I felt my muscles screaming in pain. I reached out for something, anything. When my fingers wrapped around something thin and soft my eyes flew open allowing light to flood into my mind. The pulling vanished, my legs didn't scream anymore, but my heart did. I was staring at a ghost. A person from my past that I had no connection with anymore, golden eyes that I had come to adore, short ginger hair hanging around her face looked the same as ever. _No… This can't be-_

"Petra…?" my voice was broken and painful to listen to.

"It's me, ya know, Alyx?" I closed my eyes and opened them again and the picture of Petra was gone and replaced with Alyx. Her hair was down and hung around her petite face and shoulders, her azure eyes filled with worry and sorrow, and her hand gripping a wet towel. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." I took in every detail of her face, burning it to my memory. This woman didn't look like Isabel at all and yet she looked identical. Physically she was nothing like Isabel, the hair was different, eyes were different, skin tone was different, and yet her facial expression were so similar it almost hurt.

"Sorry." I released my grip on her and glanced around the room, my room. "What happened?" Looking back at her, I noticed a pink hue to her cheeks, something that I had never actually seen before and it intrigued me.

"Well, you came to give me back the supply order and I sort of made a comment-"

"I remember that. I mean after that." The hue on her cheeks darkened.

"Well… You sort of, um…" She looked to her hands before looking back to my face. "You put your forehead against mine and I realized how warm you were so I sat you down on Hanji's desk and you passed out… against me." Her words came out in a rush. I looked at the rag in her hand. _She's taking care of me…_

"Did you carry me here by yourself?" In a nurturing manner, she dabbed my forehead and neck with the cool towel.

"No. Erwin and Armin helped. Don't worry, no one else is around so no one saw." I nodded weakly as she ran the cloth over my cheeks and under my chin. The water felt amazing against my burning skin. With a sigh I dimmed my eyes and watched her through the slits. I watched her gracefully stand from the bed and walk to my personal bathroom and rinse the cloth again, when she returned she folded it neatly and placed it over my forehead. I don't remember the last time I had gotten sick and been taken care of. It was kind of nice.

"I'm going to go make you some tea, okay? It'll help bring down your fever. Do you want anything else while I'm down there?" Her smile was contagious and I quickly found myself smiling back weakly.

"Just the tea is fine." She nodded and slipped from the room, closing the door behind her. I laid there staring at the ceiling waiting for her return. As time ticked by I grew anxious and fidgety. What the hell had this girl done to me? I felt the urge to get up and go find her, to make sure she hadn't burned herself or who knows what but figured that she'd be extremely pissed if she caught me out of bed.

 **Alyx POV**

The second I stepped out the door I almost passed out. _Levi smiled at me… Levi SMILED!_ I leaned against the brick wall outside the door trying not to faint. My heart was fluttering like mad and my face was burning. _He's actually really handsome when he smiles… He's handsome period but-_ _ **NO! It's just because he's helpless right now. He's counting on you to make him healthy again so don't let it go to your head! Plus he didn't even realize it was you!**_ _But god… that smile…_ I sighed happily. _I sound like a damn fan-girl of his… I need to focus._ I pinched my cheeks and stormed into my room across the hall. I was wearing my usual uniform but it was becoming extremely uncomfortable. No one else was around so what did it matter if I walked around in casual clothes. Plus today was an off day. I stripped down to just my underwear, throwing my uniform into a basket on the floor on the way to my dresser. I passed by my mirror and stopped. I checked myself over, my hair had gotten even longer and was to my hips, turning to my right I checked the scars on my side. _So much for smooth skin… I guess it's just part of the job._ With a shrug I waltzed over to my dresser and pulled out a long black skirt; a loose white, off-the-shoulder top; and a black corset vest. I slipped on a pair of black flats to match; twisted the ends of my blond locks up into a messy bun on the top of my head and secured it with pins.

Checking in the mirror one last time I noticed that my scars were perfectly hidden.

Rushing through the halls and down to the kitchen I put a pot of water over the wood burning stovetop. I searched for tea bags in every place I thought they would be but came up empty. The front door to the HQ opened and shut, signaling the return of the shoppers. I zipped out from the kitchen to the main hall.

"Welcome back!" I beamed to everyone. The HQ had been quiet since most of its residents had gone to town for their day off. Hanji bubbled about how adorable I was and that if she didn't have her hands full she'd hug me, thankful for the fact she had a large bag of flour in her arms I just smiled and acted normal. We all chatted for a few minutes before I heard a whistle coming from the kitchen.

"And that's my cue. Hey, does anyone know where the tea is? I looked and looked but couldn't find it."

"There should be some in a box by the coffee grinds," Mikasa responded.

"I'll check. Thanks!" I scampered back to the kitchen and set out two small plates and mugs. Mikasa was right, the tea bags were tucked into a small wooden box behind a sack of coffee grinds right by the stove. When I opened the box, it was like tea nirvana. Green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, chamomile tea, and yarrow tea (plus others) were perfectly organized in the small box. The smell that wafted from the box was delicious. I dropped a yarrow tea bag into one of the mugs and a black tea bag into the other and carefully poured the boiling water over top of them. I set the hot tea pot back on the stove but away from the fire and grabbed the plates gently.

The trek back to Levi's room took a while, I didn't wanna drop either of the mugs or spill any of the tea on my way. When I rounded the final corner I noticed his door was open. _Don't tell me…_ I quickened my pace but was surprised to see Levi still in bed but sitting up. The shock must have shown on my face.

"What?" I shook my head quickly.

"Nothing. The door was open so I thought you left or something." I glided up to his bed with the yarrow tea extended out to him. He took it without complaint and moved the tea bag around by the string.

"I was going to but figured that if you ever caught me I'd be dead." He sipped the tea carefully and scrunched up his face. "What the hell is this?"

"Yarrow tea, it'll help bring your fever down." I sat down on the foot of his bed and help the other tea cup in my lap.

"What did you make?"

"Black, but it's not for me. You can have it after you drink all of that first." He gave me a dirty look but drank it anyway. After he had finished both teas I set the cups to the side and created small talk. He told me about the world outside the walls, about how endless the sky looked, about the wildlife they had come across, and about how amazed he was the first time he saw the forests. I closed my eyes and pictured every detail he explained. No matter how small the detail, I burned it into my memory creating pictures in the back of my head. Giant trees with dark bark clinging to them and leaves hanging down creating a canopy of green and when the seasons change so do the leaves. I remember when I was in the training corps that it was so cold that the grass was dead and the trees were bare, it was such a desolate sight that I never paid attention. When I joined the Military Police, I was instantly moved inside Wall Sina. The ground was nothing but cobblestone, there were no trees, just houses and building that held businesses or housed military members, there was one large building that was the biggest hospital in all three walls. There were smaller hospitals but nothing like Reiss Memorial Hospital. The only place that I knew of inside Wall Sina that had plants was the Castle but I had no reason to go there personally, usually Pixis was the one who would deliver anything the King had to say to me. My thoughts started to drift off before I even realized it.

"-yx… Alyx?" My eyes snapped open.

"Sorry." I looked over at him. His eyes were soft and filled with worry and his lips wore a faint frown. I have no idea what came over me but I reached out and set my left hand over his laced fingers with a smile. He slowly unlaced his fingers and held onto my hand. His eyes shifted down to my fingers. His touch was gentle and kind as he ran his thumb over the top of my hand. He turned my hand over and touched my palm. I curled and uncurled my fingers twice and he smiled. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. It was a side of Levi that most people, if anyone at all, got to see and it was amazing. I watched his face, so concentrated the little things I had never noticed before.

"Alyx, thank you."

"For what?"

"For taking care of me even though I've been a complete asshole since the day you came here." I laughed rather loudly at that. He had been a jerk but he had every reason to be. I had been reckless and I was use to giving orders and not taking them. He saved my life and I felt indebted to him, plus he wasn't as much of a hard-ass as he liked people to think he was.

"There's no reason to thank me. I am the only female on our squad and it's sort of my job to look out for you and the others." I stuck my tongue out at his scowled face. "Plus, I care about you and the others. Everyone here is like my family, literally and figuratively." He ran his fingers over my palm lightly, sending little shock waves through my arm. His touch was soft and it tickled but I kept my hand in place. Ruining this moment would be like breaking glass. I shifted to face him more. My left leg was bent and tucked underneath me while my right hung over the edge of his bed. I reached my other hand out to him and he took it carefully, as if I was delicate and would break with too much pressure. We spent the rest of the day in silence, hand in hand, while he rested.


	7. Chapter 7: Home

**A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Pairings are going to start really showing up next chapter. Just as a heads up, I'm going to be starting summer college courses in a few weeks so chapters might not be added as often but I promise to upload them as soon as I can. Don't forget to REVIEW! Thank you!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AoT/SnK**

 **Chapter 7**

 **Two Weeks Later**

I left Hanji to figure out the paper work for herself. No matter how much I coached her she always seemed to push it off onto me and I had other plans today. I made a promise to Sasha that I would practice hand-to-hand with her and I wasn't about to ditch her. Every member of the Recon Corps was training in something, everyone except the Captains and Erwin, who were going over 'promotions'; if that's what you want to call them.

I stood, unarmed, facing Sasha while her fingers were wrapped tightly around a wooden practice knife and a vicious smile was plastered across her face. If she really wanted to be, she could be seriously scary. We stood in a grassy field a little ways off from the building we called home. Other cadets were scattered here and there doing their own thing, some were actually serious about practicing and others were lazy about it. Sasha wasn't one to take training seriously, she was good but she could be a lot better if she put some effort into it, unlike Mikasa, who was being the referee in our little match. Mikasa was just a natural and she didn't even have to try.

"Don't chicken out on me, Alyx!" Sasha shouted at me, causing some eyes to drift towards us.

"I didn't plan on it. Just know that I'm not going to go easy on you. Fight me as if your life depends on it." I smirked at her. I knew she wouldn't just go all out against me no matter how much I pushed her around.

"Begin." Mikasa's voice was quiet and flat.

Sasha shifted her weight and shot from her spot towards me. I raised my arms to defend myself, she was fast but I was faster. She held the knife out towards my stomach but I easily sidestepped her and connected the heel of my hand to her hand. The hit made her lean forward, I bent the same arm and pulled it back up sending my elbow into her chest. She stumbled backwards coughing.

"That hurt!" she wheezed.

"I told you, come at me as if your life depends on it." She needed no more encouragement and came flying back towards me knife out in front of her. I dodged a few jabs to the stomach and blocked a punch from her free hand. _She's really fast!_ She threw another punch towards my face and I gripped her wrist in the nick of time. That punch definitely would have hurt. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. She swung the knife at my stomach again. I had three options; 1. Push her back and hope to god that knife doesn't connect, 2. Use my free hand to stop the blow, 3. Get hit by the 'blade' but land a finishing kick to her stomach at the same time.

I reached out to stop her from sliding the 'blade' across my stomach but her direction changes. Her arm now moved up towards my busy arm. _Damn!_ I pushed her arm I had in my grip back and flung my arm up above my head. She took that moment to strike. The wooden blade rushed towards my face. I dropped to my knees and kicked out at her feet. Luckily she wasn't expecting it and landed on the ground with a hard thud. I quickly backed away from her. I could hear people talking in the background.

'Did you see that?!'

'Alyx is so bad ass!'

Sasha looked up at me, I had never seen anything but happiness on her face and for the first time I could see pure anger. She was embarrassed and I didn't blame her. Problem is I have years of practice under my belt while she only has a few.

"Sorry, Sasha. I went too far."

"Shut up!" Pulling herself from the ground she held the knife sturdily in her fist.

"Seriously, Sasha, I'm sorry." Her feet shifted and once again she came flying at me.

"I said, SHUT UP!" She thrust the knife at me and I moved enough for it to have just caught my right side. _That seriously would've hurt!_ She kept attacking and I kept dodging. Every time she missed, she would get more and more upset. _I have to end this or it'll go on forever…_ I jumped back away from her, steadied myself, and charged her. My fist connected with her stomach and she bent over in agony. Retracting my arm, I gripped her weaponized arm and slid behind her, dragging her arm with me. My free hand grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her up straight, pinning her arm against her middle back. She yelled in pain.

"Drop the knife and I'll let you go." Venom dripped from every syllable. She let the knife slip from her fingers, when it hit the ground I kicked it towards Mikasa and released my death grip on Sasha's arm. "You asked me to help you so don't get mad at me for showing you what I've got." She stepped away.

"I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at myself for not being good enough." She felt angry at herself?

"Sasha, you have to remember that I was a Commander for the Military Police plus I have years of experience. You have no reason to be upset at yourself! You held your own against me and for that I must say I'm impressed. You almost got me a couple of times. Don't beat yourself up, okay?" The usual Sasha was back in an instant, all smiled and laughs. Mikasa stepped towards us.

"It seems your fight attracted quite a bit of attention." She was right. A lot of cadets that were busy doing other things had stopped to watch us fight.

"Not just the cadets either. Check that out." Sasha nodded towards the side of the Recon Corps HQ. In its shadow stood Erwin, Hanji, Levi, and a shorter man with a head, and face, of grey hair. Even from the distance I knew exactly who he was.

"Hey guys, I'll catch up with you later." I jogged off without waiting for a response. I could feel dread pooling in the bottom of my stomach. _If he's here, something must have happened…_ I stopped directly in front of the man who had sent me here a month ago. I saluted him respectfully to which he shook his head.

"I'm glad to see you are doing well, Commander Alyxandrea." My heart almost stopped. I hadn't been called commander since I arrived to the Survey Corps.

"It's just Alyx, sir." I kept my voice even and my eyes on Darius Zackly.

"Nonsense. You are the commander of the Military Police and should be addressed as such." He glanced over at Erwin. "I see you have met an unfortunate disaster. Why not have Alyxandrea take your place for a while? She knows how to-"

"I'm not interested, sir." Not accepting the position would be one thing, interrupting the head of the three divisions of the military was another thing. He looked at me again. I swallowed back an apology and stared straight into his sunken, tired eyes.

"I'm surprised, Alyxandrea. May I ask why you are not interested in this wonderful opportunity?" He tilted his head slightly.

"You may ask me anything, sir. My reason is simple. I worked my ass off, sir."

He was silent so I continued.

"When I joined the Training Regimen, I was the weakest and most pathetic person there. I couldn't balance on the 3DMG, I couldn't run for long periods of time, my hand-to-hand was absolutely horrible, and I was told that I should give up on being a soldier. There was no way I could let that happen. I pushed myself to my limits countless times in an effort to get better. Eventually, I got the hang of the 3DMG, my body adjusted to support itself through the long treks, I became stronger and faster, and I proved my instructor wrong. I quickly became the top of my class. I started from the very bottom of the totem pole and through hard work I made it to the top of the Military Police. I will not accept becoming the Survey Corps Commander just because of the position I held before. If I want the position, I'll work my ass off here and work my way up. Besides, I'd like to enjoy not being in charge for once. I have a horrible habit of not listening to orders." At this, I glanced to Levi and back to Zackly. "So if you wouldn't mind, sir. I'd like to politely decline the position."

 **Levi POV**

Her eyes shifted to meet mine and I couldn't help but smile to myself. She was dead on with her last point. She was extremely smart and worked well with others but she couldn't listen to an order for shit. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I see." Darius Zackly had a cold and strict air about him. "I guess my next question is out too then." Four pairs of eyes turned and focused on him.

"What would that be, sir?" She never spoke this respectfully to anyone so it was weird to listen to.

"I want you to come back to the Military Police." _What?!_ I looked to her shocked face. I don't think any of us were expecting that, especially Alyx. I felt the urge to scream and yell at him that Alyx belonged here, but the choice wasn't mine to make. "This switch was only temporary, therefor if you decline, your position will be filled by someone else and you can remain here. If you come back to the Military Police, your position will remain commander and it will be as if nothing has changed." He waited for her response which never came. "I'd like an answer by the time I leave tonight. You have about four hours to think about it." He asked Erwin something quietly and they walked off and were followed by Hanji. I stayed behind. Alyx was looking at the spot Zackly had stood in moments ago with misery swallowing up her beautiful features. She had only been here a short time but it felt like she had been here forever. Everyone respected her and had fallen for her bright personality. She always smiled and cheered people up, even if it was hurting her too.

"Alyx?" I reached out and rested my hand on her shoulder. She smiled softly.

"Thank you, Levi. I've already made my choice." Lifting one brow at her in a confused glance, I went to say that there was no reason to thank me and ask what she meant but she shouted out.

 **Alyx POV**

"Commander-in-Chief!" Even from the distance between us, he turned and stared at me. Erwin glanced over his shoulder and Hanji didn't look at all. Erwin had figured out my answer the moment Zackly had asked the question. Hanji possibly feared for the worst, and Levi was maybe 50/50. Zackly nodded at me, realizing my resolve.

"Thank you for all your service to the Military Police, Ex-Commander Alyxandrea Smith!" He put emphasis on the 'ex' part. "May you find happiness in your new life, here, in the Scouting Regimen and continue to give your heart for the sake of humanity!" Hanji whipped around with a giant smile. Erwin just nodded, and Zackly gave me a wave before turning away and walking off once more. I watched them shrink and eventually disappear around the front of the HQ. With a glance over my shoulder and butterflies in my stomach, I watched Levi's face turn from shock to a soft smile.

"They say that home is where the heart is," I mumbled. "If that's true, than I am home."


	8. Chapter 8: Kidnapping!

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for an update! I must admit this chapter is longer than the rest but I'm not sure how I feel about it... Please REVIEW! Also, Chapter 1 of my Naruto fanfic will be coming out in the next few days! Thank you to everyone who's read my story so far! I really appreciate it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AoT/SnK!**

 **Chapter 8**

It had taken almost a month for all my transfer paperwork to get approved. Council members debated and argued, saying that I was too valuable to lose or that I should be allowed to join the Survey Corps because they needed the help. I spent most of that month in front of Zackly, Erwin, Levi, some of my old squad from the MP and the Council answering questions about why I was leaving and other topics.

"So explain to me what you did in the Military Police, before you became the commander." A grumpy looking old woman with a mound of white hair piled on her head asked.

"I worked on ways to reform the Military Police and I worked undercover in the underground city."

"Undercover?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What did you do 'undercover'?"

"I was given the order to blend in and try and get as much information on some of the 'criminals' that lived down there as possible, even if it meant engaging in the acts myself." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Levi and Erwin lean forward and actually pay attention to something the Council had asked for once.

"Did you engage in these 'acts'?" The younger man sitting next to the woman looked me over and tapped his chin. "How did you blend in exactly? I'm sure that someone with your skin tone and hair isn't normal down there. Also, when exactly did all of this take place, you've been the commander for years now." I nodded in agreement.

"This happened when I first joined the Military Police. To blend in I cut my hair extremely short. My skin tone gave me no issues, I wore long sleeves and long pants most of the time anyways. And to answer your first question, yes. I did engage in these 'acts' like I was instructed to do."

"What where these 'acts' exactly?"

"Most of the time it was petty theft. Stealing for food and medical supplies just to survive isn't easy. I was given a decent amount of money in case of emergencies but I stashed it away in case I was ever desperate."

"You said you went there to get information on some of these criminals, what kind of information are we talking about? Who exactly were these criminals that you get information on?"

"The information was anything I could get. Where their location was, what place they would strike next, who was in charge, and the list continues. I was able to get a decent amount of secrets on most of the big name people down there."

"I've read over the reports you gave your supervisor. In here it says that you ran into a young woman with the ability to use the 3DMG. Do you have any idea how she got the equipment?"

"No, sir."

"Did you get to know her well?" I was silent for a moment, thinking over who she was and how much I had actually talked to her. It was hazy in the back of my mind, I knew what she looked like and I knew her name, but was it best to give them that information? I glanced over to Erwin. He wore a deep scowl and barely shook his head. _He knows? How?_ Levi's brows were furrowed, if he doesn't know who I'm talking about yet, he will soon.

"Miss Smith, please answer the question." Said the old woman.

"No. I knew she was part of the group I was sent after but that's all."

"In your report, you described what the woman looked like. Can you still describe her now?" I felt a pit form in the bottom of my stomach.

"She was about my height, maybe a little shorter now, with red-brown hair and green eyes."

"Did you learn her name?"

"No." My answer was quick and a lie. I knew I hadn't written her name in the report at the time because I didn't know it then. I learned her name later on down the road.

"Are you sure?" I kept my eyes on the Councilman.

"Positive." I could see Levi slouch. The Council knew his past, much like I did, and they judged him for it, much like they judge Eren for being a Titan-Shifter. If it's different from what they set as 'normal' than it isn't welcome.

"Did you learn anything about this group?"

"No. I couldn't get close enough to learn anything of value."

"What do you consider of value, Miss Smith?" They knew what my report said and if they wanted an answer to that question, they could go look it up.

"I believe it's in the report." My voice was flat. I wouldn't let them get the better of me. I knew that they wanted as much information from me as they could get before they agreed to sign my transfer slip but I wouldn't give them anything that wasn't in my reports. If it wasn't in there, there's a reason for that. Zackly stood.

"I believe that Miss Smith has given us all the information she can. I'd like to get this over with so we can return to more… important matters." Zackly looked over the group. "Any last thoughts before we take a vote?" There was utter silence and then the scraping of a chair pushing back from the table.

"Actually, sir, there is something I'd like to ask." I knew the voice as if it were my own. He was a tall, muscular man with chopped black hair and large golden eyes. I clasped my hands together behind my back as the pit in my stomach grew.

"What is it?" Zackly could be extremely intimidating. I stared at a speck on the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"My question is directed towards Miss Smith," anger ran from his voice like water in a rushing river. "Why are you leaving?" I lifted my eyes to meet his but didn't not answer. His anger grew. "I asked you why?!" The room's silence allowed his voice to echo off the walls. My eyes were flat yet filled with emotion that he wasn't seeing.

"I'm not needed in the Military Police," I sighed.

"Bullshit!" he shouted. Sadness ripped through me like a knife but I pushed it back and slapped on my best authoritative expression, and voice, as I could.

"My reason's for transferring are none of your damn business, Cadet Demlow." He shrank away. "I swore to give up my heart for the sake of humanity, just like everyone else. Is that good enough for you, cadet?" He sat back down without another word and all eyes were on me. When most people see me they think of a sweet, happy, smiling person but when you push certain buttons I can become a raging bitch in no time.

"If that's all, I'd like to take the vote now." I needed four people to be on my side in order for the transfer to go through. There were five Councilmen/women, Zackly, and Erwin. "All in favor…" Two Council members and Zackly. _No…_ I could feel my heart sink. "All not in favor…" Three Council members. Erwin's hand never moved. "Three to three. Erwin, why didn't you vote?"

"I don't believe I have a say in my sister's transfer. If I had it my way, she wouldn't be a soldier at all." I stifled a laugh. "I'll leave my vote up to Levi. He's seen her in action and knows how she fights. If he thinks that the Survey Corps is the best place for her, so be it. If he thinks that she can't handle it and should go back to leading the people in the Military Police, so be it." With that, Erwin excused himself and left the room. Levi looked at me, I caught the hint of a smirk on his lips.

"Levi, what is your vote? For or against?" That smirk he gave me all the answer I needed.

"I'm in favor of her transfer."

"I guess that settles it then. Alyxandrea Smith, good luck in the Scouting Regimen."

The paper work was being signed by those who were for the transfer and stored with other documents like it. I waited outside the Council room for Levi. Erwin was complaining about my pacing and that I was being impatient but I didn't care. He said he needed to talk after he signed the papers but that seemed to be taking forever.

I leaned back against the wall and waited for a good 30 minutes before the doors opened. Levi was the first one out and the second he saw me he grabbed my hand and pulled me away. His grip was tight but not painful. Something was bothering him. We walked down the hall and around the corner, he glanced both ways before pushing me into an unlocked supply closet and closing the door behind him. It was rather small causing us to stand severely close to each other. His breath tickled my face.

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew about my past?" He whispered furiously.

"Because I didn't put two and two together until I met you. Yes, I knew about the criminal activity with the 3D Maneuver Gear underground and yes, I was sent to get information undercover but I honestly didn't learn anything. I met the girl I described a few times but all she said was that a friend and her 'bro' could help me if I helped them, and then one day she was just gone." I whispered back.

"Did you learn her name?"

"Yeah, Isabel Magnolia. Her friend was Farlan Church and her 'bro' was you, Levi. I never put her name in the reports and I didn't learn about you or Farlan until after my undercover work ended." I wasn't lying. It was a big issue that every soldier was talking about back then. The Survey Corps had adopted some lost strays and one of them became known as 'Humanities Strongest Soldier'. Levi let out a sigh.

"You should have told me…" he growled

"Why? What difference does it make? My view of you doesn't change just because you were a criminal. I looked up to you, correction, I still look up to you." I hit his chest softly.

"We should probably go, Erwin's most likely looking for us." He says that but neither of us moved.

"Levi… I'm sorry."

"It's not necessary."

"It is though… It's my fault that you, Isabel, and Farlan got dragged into business with Lobov and were forced to..." I thought of Isabel's happy smile and her cheerful voice. "My job was exactly what I said it was. Lobov worked closely with the Military Police and got my reports from them. He wanted to take the Scouting Regimen's expedition funds and use it for the Military Police or for his good. Of course my superiors thought it was a wonderful idea if it meant furthering themselves… So I wrote Erwin a letter, explaining what was going on and that something needed to be done… But Lobov got to you guys first… I'm sorry." I couldn't look at him, I didn't want to see the anger or hurt on his face. The small gap between us closed and his strong arms wrapped around me tightly. I rested my head against his chest with closed eyes and slipped my arms around him as well, my fingers gripping the back of his shirt. While we stood there we heard people walking by, oblivious to our little moment.

"I can't fucking believe this…" My eyes shot open. _Demlow?_ He was stopped right outside of the door Levi and I were hiding in. "How could she do this?"

"It's not up to us, Garret. Besides, I think it's really brave of her." A female responded.

"Brave?! It's fucking idiotic! Why would she want to go be with a group of suicidal people like them?!" I physically winced and Levi's grip on me tightened.

"Garret! You're being unreasonable! Maybe she just wants to live a little, spend time with the only family she has left, and see things she's never seen before."

"Family?! Erwin hasn't been there for her like we have! WE are her family, Yuki. To leave the walls for a few things that she hasn't seen is stupid! I can show her new things here, INSIDE the walls, where nothing can hurt her, where I can protect her!" There was silence from both sides.

"You can't protect someone who doesn't want to be protected… I know you love her, Garret, but she's not someone who stands on the sidelines hoping for her prince charming to whisk her off her feet and save her." I felt Levi's chest expand with a deep yet quiet breath. "If anything, she's looking for a knight in shining armor who will fight WITH her, not for her. Love isn't like the children stories, Garret."

"I know that… I just don't want anything to happen to her… and what's with all the fairy tale bullshit?" His words had cut my heart like a knife. I never even thought how this would make anyone else feel, I mean I did but I figured that no one would even know the difference. Most of the MPs either hated me or ignored me anyways.

"Come on. We should go wait at the gates and say goodbye when she get there." Their footsteps clicked on the wooden floors and faded the further away they moved. I took a deep breath, held it and counted up to five in my head, and released the air before looking up at Levi. His beautiful silver eyes were filled with sorrow and understanding. Understanding of what though? He pulled away and moved to open the door to the small storage room. _I know you love her, Garret…_ He pushed open the door and stalked out with his back to me.

"Levi…" My body wouldn't move. My legs felt numb as I begged my body to move, to go after him.

 **Levi POV**

"Damn," I cursed myself for being so stupid. _How could I be so oblivious? She's only been around for a few weeks and I've become so weak to everything she does without even thinking if she already has someone in her life. That guy, Garret, he loves her, he has every right to._ I blocked out all noise around me. _I don't have any right to love her beautiful, petite frame, that dazzling smile, those gorgeous blond locks, or those entrancing sapphire orbs._ I pictured her smiling face in the back of my mind. "Fuck…" I sighed.

 **Alyx POV**

I raced from the room and down the hall after Levi. I spotted him farther down the hall at the top of the stairs and made a break for it. There were a few people standing in the corridor, circled up in groups talking about god knows what. I barreled through the spaces between them in an effort to reach the one person I was after. When I reached the stairs he was already at the bottom landing. I jumped from the top of the steps to the first landing and rushed down the second set of stairs, a young soldier yelped and jumped out of my way when I reached the bottom. His head was down as he easily side stepped people in the crowded entrance of the Council building while I was trying to push my way straight through. I shouted out his name but he never turned around. I saw his dark head slip out the front entrance into the sunlight and vanish. _Damn it… MOVE!_ I slammed my shoulder into a few people in my way before reaching the front door. I swung it open and searched for raven hair among the people wandering around. He was gone.

"Hey, Alyx!" My heart screamed at the sound of Yuki's voice. "We were just about to go wait at the gates to say goodbye." I could hear the smile in her voice and under other circumstances it would have been relieving, but right now I wanted nothing more than to slap her. That wasn't fair though. She didn't know we were hiding in the supply room and that we had heard everything. Even though it wasn't fair to her, it wasn't fair to Levi either. My eyes threw a sharp glare at her, my face contorted with rage and I felt a snap in the back of my head. I saw her almost black eyes widen in fear before I stomped off. She called after me but I kept moving. I wandered the streets of the capital, looking down alleyways, glancing into shops, and as the sun started to set I meandered my way to the gates.

Leaning against a charcoal enclosed carriage was one person I didn't want to face right now. Garret watched me carefully, he seemed more on edge now than he did in the council room. The carriage driver seemed preoccupied with the horses to even notice me.

"What is it, Garret?" I tried my damnedest to keep the irritation from my voice but it leaked.

"Commander Smith and Corporal Levi asked me to escort you back to the Scouting Regimen Headquarters. They said that there was some issues that they needed to resolve before leaving." His voice was its normal tenor with a little bit of soreness hiding beneath. "Commander Smith said they would only be staying one night and would be back in the morning. He also said that if you give me any argument about it, that he's giving you a direct order to go."

"Fine…" I groaned out. _Damn him…_ Garret opened the carriage door for me, I climbed in and he followed. He let out a loud whistle and the carriage set into motion. We easily bypassed check points and made our way through the towns. I watched as we passed people on the streets. They wandered around, people flowed in and out of local bars and darkness finally came. Lamplighters went back and forth lighting the street lamps, as their name would suggest, and refilling the oil of the ones that needed it. Sleep pulled at the back of my eyes. We had just passed through the last checkpoint before leaving the towns when I glanced over at Garret. His eyes were closed and his fingers gripped a white handkerchief. I stared at the familiar looking fabric, trying to place where I had seen it before when I felt his eyes on me.

"Is something wrong?" His grip tightened on the piece of cloth.

"No. I was just thinking how that handkerchief looked really familiar." I faked a smile. He looked down at the fabric and loosened his grip on it. I noticed specks of red on part of the edge he was holding.

"Well, it should…" He started. That's when I realized what the fabric really was. My heart sank. "It's all that's going to be left of your beloved Levi Ackerman." He threw it towards me and lunged forward. His large fingers wrapped around my neck and gripped tightly. I couldn't breathe. I clawed at his hands with all the strength I had. My legs kicked out but only connected with the bench seat Garret was on seconds ago. My head felt light as black dots filled my vison, my arms became weak and the inside of the carriage faded away to nothingness.

 _"_ _Can you say 'brother', Aly?" A much younger version of Erwin appeared in front of me, he was bright eyed and smiling. I reached out towards him but I couldn't quite reach him. My hands appeared to be that of a very young child. "You can do it! Say 'brother'."_

 _"_ _Buther!" A child's voice echoed. "Buther!"_

 _"_ _That's right! I'm your big brother, Aly!" His familiar smile quickly faded to nothingness._

 _A sharp burn seared through my left cheek sending sharp, needle like pain through my left eye and over my nose and lips. The burning was unexpected and extremely painful._

 _"_ _Don't you dare talk about him in this house, do you understand me?!" The woman's voice was high pitched and furious._ _ **I remember this…**_ _A beautiful middle aged woman with long, light blond hair flashed in front of me. The anger in her eyes was unlike anything I had ever seen._ _ **Mother…**_ _Behind her was a tall man with short, dark blond locks who also wore the same angry expression._ _ **Father…**_

 _"_ _But mom! He's my big brother!" A childish voice shouted back at the woman. Another sharp pain spiraled through my face._

 _"_ _He is no son of mine… Never mention his name again." Once again the image faded away, leaving me in a black abyss._

 _"_ _Smith, huh? You're Erwin Smith's little sister, right?" A young female voice asked, to which there was no response. "Would you mind introducing me to him sometime?"_

 _"_ _Welcome to the Military Police, Alyxandrea Smith!" A deep voice boomed. "This will be your permanent squad until you hear otherwise. Introduce yourselves."_

 _"_ _I'm Yuki Quintoza. Nice to meet you!" Yuki's face clicked into focus, next to her were two blurred others._

 _"_ _The names Jack Raider." His blurred features cleared to reveal a handsome young man with a head of dark red, almost brown, hair._

 _"_ _Garret Demlow…" The last man became visible._ _ **Garret…**_

 _"_ _Commander!" multiple voices echoed in the dark repeating the same word over and over._

 _"_ _Commander?"_

 _"_ _Commander!"_

 _"_ _Commander Smith?!"_

 _"_ _Eren Yeager."_

 _"_ _Armin Arlert."_

 _"_ _Mikasa Ackerman."_

 _"_ _Jean Kirstein."_

 _"_ _Sasha Blouse."_

 _More visions passed through my mind. Sasha and Mikasa's stares and compliments over my figure, the titan attack, the man's soon-to-be-bride daughter, the necklace, my resolve, Levi's fever, my hand-to-hand training with Sasha, Hanji's excitement over my choice to stay in the Survey Corps, standing before the council, hiding in the supply closet with Levi, the bliss I felt when he hugged me, chasing him through the building and searching for him, and finally Garret waiting for me at the gates, telling me that I was ordered to return to the Scouting Regimen's headquarters and that he was going to escort me._

My head cleared slowly. Severe pain shot through my temples and eyes when the haze began to fade away. My eye lids felt heavy and almost impossible to open, my arms felt like they were being ripped off, and my legs felt like they didn't even exist. I tried taking a deep breath but ended up choking and coughing uncontrollably.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." My senses instantly cleared. Eyes flying open I caught sight of a rather tall, slender young man with short dark brown hair and vivid green eyes sitting in a chair by a heavy looking wooden door. A hesitant grin made him look pathetic and weak compared to how tall he was. He stood and moved closer, holding out a canteen towards me and my throat cried out in thirst. I tried moving my wrists and caught the quiet sound of chains rattling. I tilted my head back and saw that my hands were tied and attached to a heavy chain hanging from the ceiling. My feet dangled above the rocky floor of whatever room I was being held in. "You should drink some water." He unscrewed the top of the canteen and stepped closer.

"You first." My voice was weak and raspy. He lifted a brow before taking a decent sized swig of the liquid inside.

"Do you trust that it's not poison now?" I nodded weakly. The cool metal to my lips was refreshing but the tasteless liquid inside was even more so. The cold water slid down my burning throat in large gulps and crashed into the bottom of my empty stomach. I wanted to moan out when he took the canteen away from my lips. "I have a few questions for you." He smiled once again.

"Where am I?" I forced the words out in a bitter choke. He ignored me.

"Your name is Alyxandrea Smith, right? Commander of the Military Police? Erwin Smith's younger sister?" I glared at him. There was no way in hell he should know that information, only the higher ups and a select few knew. He let out a sigh. "Reiner…" A door opened in the corner of the room and another tall man with broad shoulders, short blond hair, and piercing golden eyes stalked in. The man in front of me seemed weak but this new guy was intimidating looking. He stomped over to me and grabbed a hold of my bottom jaw tightly. I yelped in pain.

"You ARE Alyxandrea Smith, Commander of the Military Police and Erwin Smith's little sister, right?" His voice was like honey yet it sent a chill down my spine. He pinched my chin harder and I cried out again.

"YES!" Tears burned in my eyes. His grip loosened enough for me to talk properly.

"Where is Annie Leonhardt being held?" _Annie?_ The small blond had crystalized herself a year ago and was taken to a place deep within the capital for studies.

"I don't know." It was an honest answer but they didn't seem to believe me. Rainer pulled back his hand and slammed it into my stomach. Pain erupted in my gut, metallic taste formed in my mouth, and bile rose up my throat. I had bitten my lip deeply causing blood to pillow up and run down my chin. He stepped back.

"Don't lie to us. You were the commander for god's sake… You have to know."

"No… I don't…" I wheezed. "Nile Dok was put in charge of her by Darius Zackly. I don't know anything. Even if I did, I'm no longer the commander, which means that they would most likely move her to a new location as a part of protocol." They watched me, studied me for even the smallest hints of a lie. The brunette ran his fingers through his short locks and watched his friend.

"I don't think she's lying. Plus, she does have a point about them possibly moving her…"

"I know. Damn it." They continued to talk quietly as I scanned the room. It was stone from top to bottom and the only light was from a bright candle near the door. I could see a folded up futon in the corner of the room with a pillow and blanket on top of it, a wooden chair next to the door that the brunette was sitting in earlier but that's it. No windows, no escape. _Fuck…_

"Who's going to become the new commander?" Rainer stormed up to me, close enough for me to smell the sweat wafting off of him. I tried moving my feet and found they were tied together but not attached to anything. His large frame blocked out my petite one easily. I tilted my head up, looking at him through lowered lids, and gave him a smart-ass smirk.

"None of your god-damned business." I tucked my legs up under me and kicked out at his groin. My bare feet connected and the strength in my legs made him move back a decent few feet before collapsing to the floor in pain. The brunette went wide eyed and dropped down to help his friend.

"You fucking BITCH!" Rainer spit out from his position on the stone floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did that hurt?" I said sweetly. He growled deeply before his friend helped him stand and they both exited the room.

 **Levi POV (Back to right after he left the Council Building)**

I winced at the sunlight. My legs made long strides away from the Council building down the first side-street I came across. I passed stores upon stores before stopping in front of a jewelry shop. Beautiful gems sparkled in the fading sun. How they found these kinds of gems was astounding, any kind of fancy stone was hard to come by since we lost Wall Maria, so they probably cost an arm and a leg.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" a young woman with fiery red hair approached me. I looked her over, she was a head taller than me, very dark eyes, and a loose dress draped over her thin looking frame. I looked back at the beautiful gems. "Maybe something for that special someone? We're running amazing deals right now! Please come in and take a look around." She smiled and led me through the front door. The shop had silver and gold chains, thick and thin, for any kind of necklace, plain and decorated bracelets, earrings, and rings.

"Can I take a look at the necklaces you have?"

"Of course! Tell me a little about this girl." The back of my neck heated up.

"She's stubborn and doesn't listen to authority to save her life. She's loud and always running around doing whatever she feels like. She's a pain in my ass but she's the most beautiful person I've ever met. She cares about everyone and puts herself in the line of fire to protect them. She's always smiling and laughing and taking care of people. Whenever she smiles at me, my heart goes crazy and my mind goes blank…" I trialed off thinking of her stunning smile.

"Sound like you really love this girl." The shop keeper laughed softly.

"Yeah… I do." The heat moved from the back of my neck to my cheeks.

"How about this one?" She pulled out a smaller pendant in the shape of an angel wing. I smirked to myself. A wing is perfect for her. She's as free spirited as a bird, plus the Survey Corps symbol is the Wings of Freedom.

"Perfect." The shop keeper put the pendent on a chain and handed it to me, it was even more beautiful than I had initially imagined. I paid the shop keeper and thanked for her help and slipped out into the street. I stared down at the gorgeous piece of artwork with a smile before slipping it into my pocket.

"Aww, how cute." I recognized the voice as the female from the hall earlier. "Is that for Alyxandrea?" The woman stepped out from a shadowy alleyway with a flirty grin.

"You're her old squad-mate, right?" She giggled.

"I'm Yuki Quintoza. You're Corporal Levi of the Scouting Regimen. It's an honor to meet you, sir!" She bowed her head. Something felt off, her face seemed friendly but the atmosphere around her seemed vicious and deadly.

"Yeah. Can't say the same." I turned on my heels and started to walk away from the situation.

"Never turn your back on your enemy…" She whispered.

"Wha-?" I turned in time so see shining metal fly past my face, barely missing me. Before I could even react, her fist connected with my nose sending me into a bloody twirl. I gripped my face, trying to stop the bleeding, and backed away.

"You can come quietly, or we can make a scene." She pointed out towards the end of an open alley. I shifted my eyes and saw my blond beauty climb into a dark carriage with none other than Garret. "If that's the case, I can't promise her safety." I kept my hand over my nose.

"Why are you doing this?"

"We're following orders."

"Orders? From the Military Police?"

"No." she snorted. "From our real boss. You should know him relatively well." I thought back to everyone I knew that was in charge of anything but nothing clicked. "Reiner Braun." I let out a sigh of defeat. "Now, if you don't mind, put your hands behind your back and start walking."

She led me to another dark colored carriage and made me climb in first. She whistled and the carriage rocked forward.

"She's going to love that necklace." She smiled sweetly. _Is she like dual-personality?_ "As long as she gives them the information they need than we'll let both of you go with as little bodily damage as possible." She seductively smiled at me. "Now I hate to do this," she started, "but I can't let you see where we're heading." A sharp pain shot up my neck and into my head as the world around me faded into darkness.

"You fucking BITCH!" I opened my eyes slowly. A door slammed shut and I could hear muffled yelling from another room. _What the hell?_ All of what happened rushed back into my head. _Alyx!_ I tried moving my arms and legs, finding they were bound together.

"Damn." I growled.

 **Alyx POV**

I pulled on my arms, trying to free myself, but the clamps around my wrists weren't budging. _Think Alyx… Think!_ I swung my legs forward and backward gaining momentum. On the last swing forward I was able to get my legs above my head and pressed my feet against the ceiling, straightened and pulled back on my arms. The chains creaked and groaned at the pressure.

"That's not going to work." I tilted my back head and looked at the doorway. My hair was hanging in my face slightly but I didn't have to actually see him to know who it was. It was the same bastard who had questioned my choices, attacked me in the carriage and claimed to 'love' me. "You might as well stop." He sighed. I pushed and pulled with everything I had. The chains groaned but didn't budge. I dropped my legs back down and my small body hung inches from the ground.

"What do you want, Garret?" I glowered at him.

"I thought you'd be happy to see an old friend." He plastered a giant smile onto his face.

"A friend?! You tried to kill me! You call that being a friend?! You're nothing but a traitor!" I spat.

"I didn't mean me." He nodded to the door and Yuki came waltzing in with a tied up Levi. His eyes connected with mine and he thrashed in Yuki's grip. She let him go and he barreled towards me. His arms were tied behind his back but he didn't even seem to care, he pressed his forehead against my shoulder and let out a shaking breath. I looked down at him with teary eyes and a faint smile.

"I'm so sorry, Alyx." He whispered into my shirt. I shook my head softly. This wasn't his fault, not one bit.

"No, this isn't your fault. Its mine so please don't be sorry." I whispered back. Garret cleared his throat and crossed his arms while Yuki just smiled. Levi spun around to face them and, if it was possible, I was pretty sure his vicious glare would kill them on spot. He had placed himself directly between me and them.

"Aww. Isn't that sweet, Garret?" Yuki bubbled. "Even though he's defenseless, he's still trying to protect her." She lifted her pointer finger to her lower lip. "I just had an amazing idea." She glanced up to him, their eyes met, and he nodded. Just as quickly as he moved in the carriage, he grabbed the front of Levi's shirt and threw him into the wall opposite of me. Yuki's laugh was like nails on a chalk-board, echoing off the stone walls. I could feel a pit forming in my stomach as I watched Levi's crumpled form try to stand again. Garret grabbed the back of his neck and slammed him into the same wall again.

"Levi!" Screams crawled up my throat, clawing to escape as Garret pulled him back from the wall. His face was bloody from a broken nose. "Please! Stop!" I thrashed in my bindings pulling and begging the chains to snap but they held strong.

"You're going to answer the question that was asked earlier, or Garret here will cause so much damage to that handsome face you love so much that you won't even recognize it." Yuki's laughter vanished and was replaced with maliciousness. Levi looked at me and mouthed the words, 'Don't tell them anything' before he let out a cry, Garrets knee connected with his stomach, his grip disappeared and Levi fell to the floor in a heap of stillness.


	9. Chapter 9: Run

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long! I should've posted this a lot sooner than now but I've been really busy. I know its short, don't worry I'm already working on Chapter 10. I'm not a huge fan of this chapter but it was all I could get out and on paper. The next one will be longer, I promise. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers! Please let me know what you think, it helps with the writing process. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AOT/SNK!**

 **Chapter 9:**

Hours passed before Garret and Yuki returned to make sure we were still breathing. I begged and pleaded with Garret to let us go but he only laughed at my feeble attempt. I watched Levi's still form, praying to whatever god was looking down on us that he would be okay.

"Alyx," Levi's voice was soft but serious, "I'm going to get us out of here." He scooted his way towards the wall and got himself into a sitting position, then to his knees, and slowly to his feet. He shambled his way over to me. Blood covered most of his face and coated the front of his shirt. He looked like absolute hell.

"How the hell do you plan on doing that when you can barely stand?" furious whispers slithered from my pursed lips. I scanned over his bloodied face, he had little pieces of rock embedded into his reddened skin, his eyes were blank and almost empty as their lids had darkened and swollen.

"Bite your lip," he mumbled. "Hard enough to draw blood. I'm going to yell that you're trying to bite off your tongue and, hopefully, someone comes rushing in to stop you. When that happens, we'll do whatever it takes to get out of here." I was stunned. He was beat to a bloody mess and I was hanging from the ceiling, so how the hell was this going to work?! "Do it." So, I did. I felt a small pop and a stinging pain shot through my mouth. I tasted copper. It was a nauseating taste. Levi shouted. A young boy came rushing into the room. He looked so small and frail as if he would break with just a little pressure. He ran up to me and pulled a white cloth from his pocket.

"Miss, you shouldn't have done that. They're going to hurt you more when they find-" his eyes widened for a second before he collapsed onto the stone floor. Levi stood behind him; hands free from their bindings. One hand was raised and the other was hidden behind his back. His gaze lingered on the boy for a period of time before he knelt down and took an old fashion sword from the boy's belt and slipped it on to his own. He reached out for my legs when I noticed a hunting knife in his hidden hand.

"Where did you get that?" I eyed the shiny metal object. It looked like it had never been used before; pristine. He wrapped his fingers gently around my ankle and slid the knife over the rope carefully. It cut like butter and dropped to the ground. I glanced up at my wrists in their secured shackles. "These things-" the chain groaned in agony in response. Levi dropped to his knees and searched the boy's body for a kay or something to undo the shackles. I glanced around the room for anything that would work. Levi stood and shook his head. _Damn._ I looked up at my hands with a resolve in mind. _It's going to hurt like a bitch but I don't have any other options._ I tensed my right arm and pulled down on my left one. My wrist screamed out in a searing pain. I could feel the skin stretch and burn as I pulled harder. Warmth trickled from inside the cuffs down my arm. The wetness of my own blood lubricated my hand, making it easier to slip from the tight cuff. The pain was excruciating. Bile clawed its way up my throat. I pushed it back. Now wasn't the time to cave in. I flung my injured arm up to my still chained arm. I wiped some of my blood around the top and bottom of the cuff and was able to pull that hand free with nothing but a sore wrist.

"That was a little excessive." Levi was staring at my maimed wrist.

"I'm fine. Let's go." I held my right hand out for the knife he was holding. Willingly, he handed it to me. It was heavy, heavier than it looked. The handle was some kind of fancy wood with little engraving in it. While the blade looked new, it had seen use. There were small nicks and scratches near the hilt, but it was perfectly balanced.

We crept towards the only way out. _What in the hell could we be walking into? Were there other guards around; watching, waiting; or was he the only one?_ My heart pounded in my chest like a drum. _This could be the end for us. What the hell are we going to do once we get out of here? We must be outside the walls right? How are we going to get back home?_ My grip around the knife's hilt tightened. _What about Erwin? Oh God… What if he's here too?!_

"Alyx…" Levi's voice cut my thoughts like a blade. My eyes rushed to his. They held confidence. Strength. Power. Life. He was right in front of me, a little bruised and beaten, but alive. I nodded at him, letting him know I was ready to move. He pressed his back against the wall, peeked out of the room, and slipped into the hall. I quickly followed. It was quiet and empty. Scattered doors lined the stone walls at different intervals and next to each door was a single lit candle. We padded down the barren hall and stopped at the end. We could either go left or right, neither way looked promising. Both looked similar to the one we were isolating ourselves in.

Excruciating pain erupted against my temple causing me to plummet into the stone wall nearby. Cool stone dug into my palms as the blood running through my veins boiled. I felt hot and cold and nauseous. The stone walls became the ceiling which became the floor as the world around me tilted on its axis. As quickly as it came, the pain was gone and the world was no longer spinning. My legs moved forward taking me down the hallway to the left. I could feel Levi's confused look on my back but he didn't say a word. We continued down the hall for what felt like ages before slamming to a halt and pressing our backs to the wall. I could hear soft voices traveling down the small hallway in our direction. We were at the corner of the wall. Nowhere to go but back the way we came or go towards the voices. Levi and I met eyes for a brief second. I mouthed out what I was going to do and he nodded. Before I could bolt around the corner he grabbed my shoulder and spun me back towards him. His hands cupped my face gently as his mouth came down to meet mine. He tasted like blood. The metallic taste was bitter yet the kiss itself was sweet. As quickly as his mouth came, it left and I closed my eyes. It's now or never. I forced my legs to move.

I stepped out from around the corner and charged at the men. They were tall and extremely well built. Like two separate brick walls they just stood there deadpan. When I got closer, they moved. They didn't move to stop me but to get out of my way. _What the hell?_ I passed them without hassle. Neither reached for me. Neither said a word. They just stood there. I glanced behind me as I moved forward. Levi made it past them too. He had the same puzzled look I did. _This is wrong…_

Those were the only two people we ran into. We continued through hallways and eventually found our way out. It was pitch black, but there were specks of light here and there mapping out the houses in the area. I slipped my fingers into his free hand as we snuck behind houses and avoided any form of light. I felt like we were ninja, I read about them in an old book I found in the Military Police's 'confiscated' room.

Levi's grip on my fingers tightened and I came to a halt behind him.

 **Levi POV**

Her fingers were soft against my own calloused hand. _I promised myself that I'd protect her with everything I had no matter what the cost, but how am I supposed to protect her against THAT._ We were stashed away behind a darkened house, me in front, her behind me. The darkness of the night created perfect cover for us to move around in and not be seen, but we stood no chance against what was waiting at the gates of this… little village of sorts. _Reiner and Bertolt…_ I gripped Alyx's hand tighter. _We could make a break for it…_ I shifted my eyes ahead to the wooden fence surrounding the town. _We could easily get over it._ I shifted my gaze back to Reiner and Bertolt _. With Alyx's hand torn up like it is, she doesn't stand a chance in a real fight._ Back to the fence. _We also don't know what's waiting for us out there. It's the middle of the night, we have no idea how far we are from the walls or any strongholds… We don't have our 3DMG so we'd have to avoid the forests._

"Levi…" a soft whisper behind me brought me back to reality. "What's going on? We've got to keep moving." I pointed ahead of us at the fence.

"Think you can make it over that?" It was silent.

"I think so."

"We're going to move at the same time. Once over the fence, we run. We keep running and we don't stop, no matter what. Titans are less active at night so this is our best chance."

"Got it." She squeezed my hand again before removing it from my grip. I glanced over at her face. She had every emotion plastered on her face. She was nervous, excited, happy, sad, and determined but not afraid. Fearless was not something I would normally call her, but in this moment she was.

Her cerulean eyes shifted in my direction, we nodded at each other, and our legs moved on reflex. It was 50 feet to the fence, 10 feet up, and 10 feet down. I easily got myself up and over the fence while Alyx had a harder time. She made it to the fence and was able to grab the top, but with her injured hand it was harder to pull herself up. I watched from the outer side of the fence as she finally pulled herself up and drop to the ground on my side.


End file.
